


The Guardians: Origins

by AutomaticWastelandFox



Series: Miraculous Tales of Kwami Swap [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awesome Master Fu (Miraculous Ladybug), Fox Alya Césaire | Rena Rouge, Friendship, Gen, Growing Up Together, High School, Kwami Swap, Ladybug Master Fu | Crimson Beetle, Mentor Master Fu, Mild Language, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Origin Story, Peacock Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Peacock Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Bijou Bleue, Team, Team Dynamics, Teambuilding, Turtle Nino Lahiffe | Carapace, Villain Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-01-24 17:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21341995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutomaticWastelandFox/pseuds/AutomaticWastelandFox
Summary: Marinette was positive she was ready for anything on her first day of lycee. She brought her sewing kit for emergency fashion mishaps, plenty of pens and notebooks for work and sketching, and even enough macarons to share with the class. What she had not prepared for was chasing her new friend in pursuit of a supervillain and accidently saving a superhero.Chat Noir and Hawkmoth loom over Paris,  and only a team of heroes can stop them. With the guidance of Crimson Beetle can Marinette and her friends truly save their city and become miraculous?
Relationships: Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Master Fu, Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Duusu, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Master Fu, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe, Master Fu & Nino Lahiffe, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Miraculous Tales of Kwami Swap [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920829
Comments: 22
Kudos: 131





	1. A Game of Cat and Bug

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys this A/U is something I've been messing around with for a while now but Ive finally gotten a majority if this roughed out and wanted to get it out here to gauge interest. I also decided to age our main kids up very slightly here in the beginning to 15/16 equivalant of American high school freshman just because Im a little more comfortable writing that age and older. If anyone likes it I have some ideas for future eps that I'll probably post as individual stories later on so please stay tuned. If I missed any tags anyone thinks are important please let me know and I will fix them. I hope you guys enjoy and I'd love to hear your feedback! Thanks for the read!

Crimson Beetle held his breath as he flattened himself against the brick wall before slowly sliding down amongst the piles of refuse in the alleyway he was currently attempting to hide in. He was sure it was only by the grace of his miraculous' good luck that his suit's brilliant red pieces of samurai-esque armor were mostly obscured from the black shadow perched above. Just as he was preparing to flee again and attempt to elude his pursuer elsewhere, the shadow passed overhead. The shadow soared high above his hiding spot without sparing him a glance. It was only once he was absolutely sure the young man donning the visage of the black cat was long gone that the hero allowed his tense muscles to relax. 

He gulped in greedy lungfuls of air as he regained his footing. Even encased in the magical suit he could feel his knees creak in protest. Perhaps he really had been a stubborn old fool to try and regain the miraculous this way. Though his mind and spirit were willing, his body was beginning to go. He was just getting too old to truly use the powers afforded by a miraculous. He wouldn’t be able to effectively wield the ladybug's true power for much longer at this rate, but what else could he do now? How could he admit defeat when the chance to right his terrible wrong had finally presented itself? He couldn't allow a mistake nearly two centuries old to burden Paris.

When word had reached headlines about a mysterious figure prowling the Parisian skyline calling themselves Chat Noir and leaving destruction and crumbling debris in their wake, he had known the time had finally come. What he had not considered when he confronted the boy was the great hulking golem that had accompanied him. And so it would seem that not only was the black cat miraculous in Paris but the butterfly as well. He had hoped, perhaps foolishly, that these wielders could be reasoned with and that he might explain himself and recover the jewels without conflict. However, judging by the playful smirk and almost casual demand that Crimson Beetle turn over the ladybug miraculous, it was obvious that this young man knew exactly what he held in his possession and had no intention of surrendering it.

The red clad hero clutched his side and winced in pain as he felt a rib shift suspiciously. The suit, though magical, could not protect completely against the full force of another miraculouses power, and this boy certainly wasn't pulling any punches. He was sure the pain in his ribs would be excruciating if he were to detransform now, but he couldn't allow the ladybug to fall into villainous hands, especially not one who already possessed the power of the black cat. A feeble injured man attempting to flee from a rampaging monster would be far less conspicuous than a hero attempting to escape from villains. It was unfortunate that he could not use the miraculous cure to repair the damage to the city, but he knew it was time for him to retreat and reexamine his options. Summoning his power now would only give away his position and put the villains back on his tail. The city would have to hold on just a bit longer.

Just as he prepared to call out and drop his transformation a rhythmic clunking sound alerted him to his audience. While he had been lost in thought, Chat Noir had returned, and was now lounging above him on the lip of a building lazily tapping his staff against the brick and grinning down at the older hero.

“Oh don’t mind me.” He called airily as he tossed down a saucy wink. “I’m just catching up on a cat nap. Buuuut I think that guy is pawsitively dying to have a chat with you.”

Crimson Beetle only had a split second to process the cat’s purred taunt and fling his yo yo around a nearby fire escape before two giant stone fists smashed the through side of the building he had just been leaning against. The hero didn’t stop to look back at the damage using the momentum to fling himself ahead of the villains. 

“Come on old man!” the cat called after him already in quick pursuit again. “You can turn over your miraculous right now and I purromise to let you go unharmed. You shouldn’t take my kindness for granite. Hawkmoth isn’t as nice as I am!”

Metal sang through the air as the beetle dodged a swipe from Chat Noir’s staff and zipped himself to the next building. If the sound of crumbling brick behind him was any indicator, his other new friend wasn’t too far behind either. Every swing he took sent shockwaves of pain up his side as Crimson Beetle frantically tried to pull together a plan of escape. Seeing no other alternative he quickly dropped down the side of a building causing the black cat to shout in surprise and overshoot his own jump. Crimson Beetle used the few seconds of distraction to call on his miraculous and summon a lucky charm. He paused only for the half-second it took to grab the magical item as it fell in the sky before taking to the rooftops again. 

“Seriously?” Guffawed the young man from behind him as he laid eyes on the spotted bottle in the hero’s hand. “That’s the *lucky charm* Hawkmoth warned me about? That’s the mystical object that's gonna give you an edge over me? What are you going to do with it clean my dinner plate?” Crimson Beetle didn’t respond or break his stride as he leapt and flew across the rooftops. However, he was wondering the same thing as his eyes swept his surroundings. Nothing seemed to catch his attention, but lucky charm had never failed yet he just had to find the right angle.

“Look up there! I told you! Where there’s a supervillain, there’s always a superhero close behind!” The hero glanced below and took note of the enthusiastic teen as she crowed and bounced on her toes in excitement. She held her phone in both hands obviously filming the encounter as two other teens attempted to grab onto her arms and drag her away from the fray. Well, at least it seemed some teenagers still had a sense of self preservation. 

Crimson Beetle was already turning his back on the onlookers and preparing to continue the chase when a chorus of shrieks caused him to spin on the ball of his foot. He turned just in time to watch the trio of teens dive to the sidewalk narrowly avoiding the car that had been flung at them. It appeared the butterfly’s champion was transfixed by the new arrivals and instead of following on the cat’s heels had begun to charge down the street towards the onlookers.

“WHERE’S KIIIIIIIIIIIIIM?!” Bellowed the great behemoth as he rushed forward at a lumbering gallop, his every footstep shaking the city street below. 

“Whoa! Hold on rock head! You’re supposed to be helping me get these earrings or did you forget your deal?” Chat Noir had skidded to a halt as well just a few feet behind, his own wide eyes were watching the terrified teens as they struggled to get to their feet despite the ground quaking beneath them. It appeared the cat wasn't thrilled about the possibility of civilian casualties, for the moment at least.

The silhouette of a glowing purple butterfly appeared over the golem’s stone face, but the creature did not break it’s stride continuing with single minded determination towards the scrambling trio. Crimson Beetle couldn't help but notice that even as they regained their footing and began to run the bespectacled girl still held her phone out behind her, filming even as she rushed for life. 

He spared the conflicted cat only a brief glance before tearing off after the twisted champion. Saving these children had just become priority one and he could only hope that Chat Noir wasn’t quite ready to kill for his miraculous. He zipped forward following the monster's trail of destruction. He sensed rather than heard the faint whispering of his kwami pushing against his mind reminding him of his injuries and mounting exhaustion. He prayed Tikki would be able to hold on a little longer. He couldn’t just run the other way and allow these children to be crushed.


	2. Zero Self Preservation

Marinette could feel the sharp stabbing in her ribcage as a stitch began to form on her right side, but she ignored it and continued to push forward. Her feet slapped against the pavement in steady rhythm and she prayed that, for once in her madly clumsy life, she wouldn’t trip. She had pulled just slightly ahead of Nino, who had her newest friend Alya by the wrist dragging the girl behind him. Despite the terror on ger face, she still continued to film the monster that chased them.  


“You have ZERO sense of self preservation!” He shouted as the three skidded slightly before hanging a very sharp left down a wide city street trying to lose Stoneheart amongst the multiple cars, kiosks, and vendor carts that littered the roadway.

“NONE!” He reiterated loudly as Stoneheart burst through the obstacles like they were nothing more than spiderwebs. Both girls only shrieked in response pushing themselves into an even faster adrenaline fueled sprint as the creature that had been Ivan only this morning bellowed after them again. Marinette was really starting to rethink this budding friendship with Alya. Sure, the girl’s bravery when standing up to Chloe this morning had been admirable, but now she was starting to think the girl might actually just have a death wish.

Suddenly the asphalt behind them exploded launching them into the air along with a spray of debris before sending them sprawling across the broken roadway. The world was muffled and spinning as Marinette pushed herself to her hands and knees. It appeared Stoneheart had leapt after them in an attempt to gain ground, and, if the gaping hole before her was anything to go on, it done the trick but had also sent the several ton stone monster straight through the roadway and down into the sewers below. 

She was still in a daze when she felt herself being pulled to her feet, and it took her longer than she would have liked to recognize the small red clad man who was attempting to steady her. She felt the urge to giggle as she watched the spots on his suit dancing to the rhythm of her pounding head. 

"You must gather your friends now and get to safety!” The hero urged giving her a gentle nudge. She met his eyes for a moment and felt her stomach sink at the fear behind his mask. She nodded dumbly and began to stumble towards Nino and Alya who were struggling to free the boys foot from beneath a large hunk of asphalt.  


She had just reached down to help when the loud metal clang resounded from just behind her. She spun to find Chat Noir once again locked in battle with the new red clad hero. It appeared as though he had managed to catch up with them in all the chaos and had simply waited to pounce until her rescuer was unawares.The man was doing his best to deflect wild swings of the villains staff with his yoyo but Marinete could see that he was beginning to slow down and was favoring one side heavily.  


The ground beneath them rumbled again as one of Stoneheart’s hands appeared out of the gaping hole, clutching firmly to the edge. The monster seemed to be trying to pull himself up, but his weight was too much. The creature only managed to cling for several seconds before a large chunk of roadway broke off in his grasp sending him falling back into the depths with a roar. Still the golem had made a fine distraction and the villains baton managed to catch the hero right under the chin with a sickening crunch sending the man sailing through the air before impacting hard. He didn’t move again.  


Marinette gasped in horror her small hands covering her mouth as she watched the grinning cat stalk towards his prone prey. Her mind was racing when she felt a soft impact against her shoe. She glanced down to find a small red and black spotted bottle had rolled into her foot from somewhere...was that?  


The air by her face shifted suddenly and she had only a split second to recognize Alya’s phone as it flew past her and connected to the villain’s temple. The black clad boy stumbled with a hiss as he whirled in the direction of the teens. “You’ve got to be kitten me right now. What was your plan there other than to hiss me off?”  


“Wow,” Alya sassed with a smirk, seemingly unimpressed as she planted her hands on her hips. “do you practice those in a mirror or something? But to answer your question it was obviously a distraction.”  


Chat Noir’s ear twitched and his head tilted in momentary confusion just as Nino’s body collided with him from behind. The bespectacled boy gave a mighty battle cry as he forcefully shoved his messenger bag over the villain’s head and shoulder checking him hard. Chat yowled in surprise as he was sent stumbling backwards. They could hear muffled curses as the boys arms flailed and he began to claw at the offending canvas bag. Alya and Nino had already leapt into action and were both shouldering the groaning hero as they began to drag him away as quickly as they could towards a narrow alleyway.  


Marinette reached down scooping up the bottle at her feet as she began to dash towards the still thrashing villain. As she approached she noticed that Chat had quickly managed to rip the shredded bag off his face with a snarl. His poisonous green eyes were narrowed, his pupils mere slits, as he looked up and locked onto her approaching form. His expression instantly shifted from rage to confusion as he took in her sudden proximity. She squeaked in alarm at her own actions as she began to close the distance. What the hell was she thinking?  


Still, her body continued to move without her consent. She leaned forward mid run and sent the bottle spinning ahead of her down the roadway like a bowling ball. Chat’s eyes locked onto the incoming projectile and with a perfectly timed stomp he managed to slam his foot down on it hard. He reeled back in surprise as the force popped the lid clean off the bottle sending a long spray of dish soap splattering along the ground around his feet.  


“What in th-oof!” He never had a chance to finish as Marinette collided with his surprisingly solid form using her momentum and adrenaline to deliver a powerful two handed shove to his chest. She felt the rumble of a snarl building just behind her hands as the boy attempted to brace himself, but his feet slid on the now slick ground and she was able to force him back just a few feet… just enough to send his shrieking form through the gaping hole he hadn’t noticed himself being corralled towards.  


Marinette forced herself not to think about the flash of terror she saw in the boy’s neon eyes just before he had plummeted out of sight or the guilt that was beginning to pool in her stomach. Instead, she turned and dashed towards the alley her friends had disappeared into. The ground continued to rumble as Stoneheart raged away below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well look at that, our intrepid teenage heroes actually contributed this chapter! I've got a good bit of this written out and broken down into chapters mostly of this length, but I've been considering combining some and doing longer chapters with more page breaks instead. Thoughts? Also any other feedback you guys have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read and show some interest! You're all great :)


	3. Always Carry Emergency Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our intrepid teens meet Master Fu and his Kwami companion Tikki and the world they know is about to get turned on it's head.

Marinette huffed in exertion as she rushed down the alley she had seen her friends carry the hero into. She was still running on the adrenaline high from her showdown with Chat Noir, so it really was no surprise that when a pair of hands gripped her bicep and yanked her hard into an open doorway her first instinct was to shriek loudly and swing with all her might. She realized it was Nino only a split second before her knuckles collided with the bridge of his nose. 

“Shit! Ow! Marinette, dude why?!” Nino whined nasally as he doubled over to clutch at his nose. He had immediately gone cross eyed and Marinette could see the pained tears welling up behind his glasses.

“Oh mon Dieu! Nino I’m so sorry!” she whisper-shouted at her friend as she fluttered her hands helplessly around his face in alarm. “I thought you were that cat guy!”

“That’s a mean right hook you’ve got girl.” Marinette looked up from her flustered flailing to find Alya’s head poking out from a small service window cut into the wall across the room. She took quick stock of the small shop they were taking shelter in and found they were in what was probably a small family pharmacy. Judging by the broken door and shop window it had either been damaged during Stoneheart’s rampage or had been looted during the ensuing chaos. Her eyes once again found Alya who was leering at her from the window. “Is that how you got away from Chat Noir?”

“Uh no…” Marinette trailed off as she started to try and prop the broken door back against its hinges while glancing back over her shoulder sheepishly. “I actually pushed him down a hole.”

“You did what?” Nino breathed, his eyes comically large as he continued to pinch the bridge of his abused nose. Conversely, Alya let out a loud snort of laughter before laying her head in her arms to try and smother her giggles causing Nino to whirl around and make frantic shushing motions at the snorting girl with his free hand. Alya’s shoulders were still shaking as she began to motion them towards the back room and away from the street facing windows before ducking down out of sight herself. When Marinette and Nino joined her in the back room Alya had sobered considerably and was crouched next to the still hero.

“We ducked in here to see if there was anything here our bug friend could use, but he took a pretty hard hit back there and he’s been pretty out of it since we got him in here and honestly… I don’t know what else to do.” A shrill beeping sound caused all three teens to jump as the earrings the man wore flashed. The redhead sighed as she let her tense shoulders fall “...Also that’s been happening. No clue what that’s abou- oh shit!” 

A shimmering light encased the hero and cast the small room in a faint red glow causing the teens to shield their eyes. When the light subsided and they were finally able to open their eyes, a chorus of gasps echoed through the room. Where the hero had once sat propped against the wall there was now a small asian man wearing a floral shirt. He let out a quiet groan of discomfort and opened his eyes just a sliver. He seemed to take in the trio of concerned faces hovering nearby, but his eyes continued to dart about as if he was searching for something else. “...T-tikki?”

“I’m here master.” A small tired voice answered the man as all eyes in the room snapped to the floor where a small red creature was leaning against the man’s knee. It turned tired eyes on the teens who were all gaping in confusion. “I don’t suppose you three have any cookies?”

The noise that started in the back of Marinette’s noise started as a whine but quickly became a squeal without her brain’s permission her body launched itself into Nino’s arms forcing the boy to hold her like a bride while she wrapped her own arms around his neck in a tight choking squeeze. “It-It’s a giant bug! A mouse! A-A bug-mouse! And it talked!”

“Now that’s just rude.” The creature mumbled pouting at the still squealing girl. “I’m not a bug or a mouse, I’m a kwami. And my name is Tikki.”

“This is too cool!” Alya had already crawled over to the tiny being on hands and knees an excited grin spread across her face. “What is a kwami exactly? Man I wish I hadn’t tossed my phone at that mangy cat!” 

“It wouldn't do you any good. Kwami can not be recorded or photographed it is a precaution to help hide our existence from mankind.” The tiny being opened her mouth as if to continue but was shushed as the old man reached down and gently lifted her into his lap.

“Hush now Tikki we can’t endanger these children anymore than we already have. We have to transform quickly and lead the monster and Chat Noir away from here.” The man shifted as if to stand but let out a pained hiss and stilled.

“No offense hero dude, uh I mean sir, I don’t think you’re gonna get too far. You took a really nasty bump man.” Nino had lowered Marinette back onto her own two feet but the girl was still clinging tightly to his arm. 

“He’s right master.” Tikki frowned as she tugged at the man’s finger. “I know it’s not ideal, but we need their help. This is more than we were ready to deal with and I can’t even transform back without food. Even the...I don’t know if you’re body can take another transformation in this shape. That black cat hit you hard enough to drop your transformation it took all I had to hold on this long.”

“Hey Marinette!” Alya had perked up excitedly and was now sitting on her knees. “What about those macarons you brought for class? Did any of them make it?”

“Oh.. uh.. I?” Marinette slowly began to fish around in her small purse with one hand while the other still clutched Nino’s shirt it a white-knuckled grip. “Um yeah… there’s uh one left that I didn’t er..drop. I was actually going to split it with you and then…” Marinette continued to fumble over her words as she pulled out the single remaining cookie and held it up in a shaking hand. The kwami flew towards her excitedly and she had to swallow down another shriek when it landed in her outstretched palm and began to munch on the treat happily. Marinette watched as the kwami wiggled a little in delight as she ate, and now that she got a closer look she had to admit… she was actually pretty cute. 

As the kwami ate her cookie both Nino and Alya began to sort through some of the medications around them until they found a mild pain killer the man assured them would be safe to take. Alya had just given him the pills along with a water bottle from her bag when the ground around them shook. The entire room held their breath as the rumble grew closer and closer before steadily subsiding as Stoneheart moved on to check another area. 

“I must apologize for asking so much of you, but Tikki is correct.” The man’s face was pensive as he regarded them all closely. “I must ask your assistance to get back to my home. There is a mild magic around it that will help us remain hidden and I can explain more there.” 

\----------

Marinette forced herself to breathe evenly through her nose as she slowly crept ahead through empty side streets and alleys. She carefully scouted each open area before scuttling across and consulting with the kwami nestled in her small purse to ensure they were still headed the right way. Every few streets she would double back and give her friends the all clear as they continued their arduous task of supporting the now very injured and very human hero. Even with both Nino and Alya supporting the man it was painfully slow going and Marinette was sure she was going to burst from anxiety as every shift of debris in the streets sent her scrambling for cover. 

She really wished her new friend Alya would have just come and waited all this out at the bakery with her and Nino. Still, she thought absently as she pressed her hand against the little kwami in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, it wasn’t every day you got to help a real superhero. She startled suddenly as Tikki’s tiny paws tugged at her finger. The little kwami was motioning excitedly at a building Marinette almost just walked past. She sighed in pure relief before quickly rushing back to go help her friends cross the last few blocks.

As soon as they were all safely inside Marinette flipped both locks on the door and began to shutter the shop’s windows while Nino and Alya got the injured hero settled in the shop’s living quarters. By the time she made her way to the back the man had been propped up on a small futon and her friends had seated themselves on the floor in front of him attentively. Tikki zipped from her hiding spot with Marinette’s purse and flew to his side her tiny face was pinched with worry. 

“I’m fine Tikki.” The small man conceded with a pained smile before he turned his attention to the three teens that were kneeled before him. “It seems both Tikki and myself owe you a great debt my young friends. I am sorry to have put you in so much danger already, but I’m afraid I find myself in an unusual situation and must request your help. But, before all that, allow me to introduce myself. I am Master Wang Fu, guardian of the miracle box and currently the wielder of the ladybug miraculous.”

The teens were still watching him with rapt attention and it took them a moment to realize he had paused and was patiently waiting for them to introduce themselves as well. Nino’s cheeks pinked just a tinge in embarrassment and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Oh! Of course Master Dude uh I mean Fu. I’m Nino Lahiffe and these are my fr-”

“I’m Alya Cesaire and this is the amazing day of my life! Are you a real hero? What’s a miraculous? Why are you in Paris? How are you connected to Chat Noir? UGH and why on earth did I throw my phone at him?! This is the most newsworthy thing that has ever happened to me!” Alya was red in the face when she finished her rant and the poor girl looked ready to combust whether it was from stress or joy was really anyone's guess at this point. 

Master Fu blinked a time or two before he began to chuckle. “Well Mlle Cesaire, while I appreciate your enthusiasm, and I will answer all of your questions shortly, I must first express to you clearly that this is a matter of utmost secrecy. If I am to allow you into this world, you must understand that everything will be kept between only the people in this room. There is so much more to this world than you can even imagine, and keeping these secrets is how we maintain the balance to protect us all.”

Alya looked torn for just a split second, no doubt facing a dilemma with her inner journalist, before her face steeled and she sat ramrod straight with a vehement nod. “Yes uh… Master. If I’ve learned anything from Majestia it’s how importance of a hero’s duty. You can count on us! Right girl?”

Marinette nearly fell over as Alya collided with her latching onto her arm so tightly she was afraid she might lose circulation. Marinette opened her mouth meeting her new friend’s hopeful amber gaze with a shy smile of her own. “O-of course Master Fu. We would never do anything to jeopardize Paris or our new hero. A-and I’m Marinette, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Master Fu and Tikki shared gentle smiles before pinning the teens with solemn gazes. It was Tikki who cleared her throat first as she perched on the master’s knee. “As I mentioned before, I am a kwami. Kwami are ancient divine beings, we are formed when a new ideas and abstract thoughts come into existence. It’s... difficult to explain in a way that will truly make sense to you, but maybe it will be easier to say that I am the kwami of creation. I have existed as long as creation itself; I was formed alongside the very universe.”

“Wait! Wait, wait hold up.” Nino had interrupted the small red sprite waving one of his hands in a halting manner as he clutched at his hat with the other. Alya and Marinette had reeled back and were now holding each others hands tightly as they gazed at Tikki their eyes bulging wide. “So you’re like...God?” 

Tikki looked hesitant but nodded her head slowly. “In a sense… I suppose that is one way to look at it. We have been called gods in the past. All kwami hold great power over our chosen domain, but in the beginning humans couldn’t sense us at all so we were unable to communicate or truly help them. Then one day, thousands of years ago, we met a very powerful mage who was able to push past the normal realm of human senses and contact us. He used his power to create magical jewels that we kwami could bind ourselves to. He called them miraculouses. Since their creation, humans have been able to wield a miraculous, and together we have used our great power to achieve good throughout the world. This is how the Order of the Guardians came to be.” 

Fu nodded as he began to pick up where Tikki left off. “We guard the miraculous and kwami to keep them safe and in the hands of those who would use their tremendous power for good. In time long past guardians would train for many years before they were entrusted a miracle box which would contain a number of miraculous. A guardian would train tirelessly with the miraculous under their protection, then they would use them or dole these jewels out to trusted allies when the world needed them most. Alas, I am the last of the guardians, and I possess the only remaining miracle box.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lore dump, set up, and lots of talking. I know this isn't the most interesting stuff guys but next chapter we will finish up the lore dump and meet the kwami and then we can really get started! I hope some of you are at least still with me by then! As always thank you for your time and I appreciate any and all feed back!


	4. Let's be Miraculous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three teens meet the kwami and become the heroes Paris needs! ALSO I know this is hella long and I thought about splitting it up but I really wanted to get through this whole part so we could move on with the action! If you stick around past this I swear we will get to the real hero business next chapter! Also I know in the English version Duusu's phrase is 'spread my feathers' but I prefer the sound of 'fan my feathers' so it's what I'm going with.
> 
> And if any of you are interested in my very basic design idea for Bijou Bleue here's a link to it on my tumblr. Anyone that would like to mess with it or improve please tag me I'd love to see!  
https://automaticwastelandfox.tumblr.com/post/190474478649/for-idk-the-2-people-that-come-here-after-reading

“But Master Fu,” gasped Alya, “how did something like that happen?” 

“A tale for another day Mlle Cesaire.” Fu answered his expression forlorn. “What is important right now is that on the day the other miracle boxes were lost, so too were two jewels from my box: the black cat of destruction and the butterfly of transmission. Since that day nearly two hundred years ago Tikki and I have searched tirelessly to recover them.”

“T-two hundred?!” Marinette blurted loudly before slapping both palms over her gaping mouth with an embarrassed flush. 

“Ah, yes, the magic of the miraculous grant Guardians an extended life span to allow us ample time to train and master the true potential of the gems. The stronger the bond between Guardians and their assigned Kwami the more powerful your magic and abilities will be and the longer your body will be maintained by the magic. Still, it is not immortality. The human body will eventually break down. Which actually brings me to my next point. I came to Paris in hopes of recovering the black cat but I was unprepared to face the butterfly as well.”

“That makes sense.” Alya nodded as she shifted into a more comfortable criss cross position on the floor next to Marinette. “Chat Noir’s been all over the news for a few weeks. Up until now everyone just assumed he was just some kind of street performer or a vigilante of some kind. He hasn’t really done much except some property damage and he didn’t seem to have a partner or anything. He definitely didn’t have a stone monster wrecking the city at his bidding. Is that like his super power or something?”

“No the golem who calls himself Stoneheart is the work of the butterfly. It’s wielder can use the strong emotions to sense another and grant them power to fight alongside them as a Champion. This butterfly seems to be using negative emotions to create villains to fight in their stead.”

“Poor Ivan.” Marinette fretted as she wrung her small hands in her lap. “Kim was teasing him earlier today and he was so upset. It’s not right for someone to just take advantage of him like that!”

“No it isn’t. This abuse of the miraculous magic must be stopped. I thought my training and experience would allow me to solve this quickly, but it seems I was mistaken. I thought I could avoid repeating the mistakes of the past by keeping the miraculous hidden away from the world. Now, thanks to my own fears and pride, I have no fellow Guardians and no hope of defeating these foes alone.” The man’s expression was grim as he surveyed his young audience. “So now it comes to this. Nino Lahiffe, Alya Cesaire, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng the three of you have shown great bravery in the face of danger. You risked your own safety to save a stranger in need. You truly acted heroically today and for these reasons I must ask you...allow me to train you. Become miraculous holders, become my successors a new generation of Guardians to protect Paris by defeating the black cat and the butterfly.”  
Alya’s squeal was deafening. “Me?! Help a real superhero? Yes! Absolutely! I’m so in!”

“I-I’m sorry?” Marinette jumped to her feet stammering as she began to pace in a small circle. “T-This must be a mistake Master. YOU must be mistaken! The only superpower I could ever have is super awkwardness! I’m really sorry! I’m happy I was able to help you but I’m no h-hero!” She finished with a desperate glance at Nino who was now gripping his cap tightly in his lap with trembling fingers.

“Mlle Dupain-Cheng. I have been mistaken terribly in the past. I am not now. You and your friends have the hearts of true heroes. I saw that today for myself.” The man’s smile was gentle as he reclined back on the futon with a wince. “Still, I would not force this responsibility on you. The choice is ultimately yours and you are free to leave now and never look back my dear. I would not think any less of you for it. Trust me when I say I understand how truly scary it is to be responsible for so much.”

Marinette could feel herself shaking as her anxiety kicked into overdrive. There was no way he was right and she definitely could NOT do this. She needed to go right now. Just before she could bolt two soft hands grasped her own and pulled her close. At some point during her internal meltdown Alya must have approached her. 

“Girl-Marinette… listen to me okay?” Marinette couldn’t look away from Alya’s warm smile and shining eyes. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but he’s right. You were kind to every soul in class today.. well except Chloe but still. You followed me when I rushed towards danger even though you hardly knew me! You faced down Chat Noir! You got us here safely! You’re already a hero Mari! Besides, all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. I believe that Mari and this is our chance to do something. Besides, you won’t be alone. You’ll have me and Nino right there with you. Right Nino?”

Marinette tore her eyes from Alya’s face to find that Nino had risen to his feet. His cap was still clutched tightly by his side his gaze glued to the floor. He gave only a short nod before shoving the cap back on his head facing the girls with a determined smile. “They’re right Mari. This, Paris, is our home. Our family… our friends… I’m going to fight for them. And… there’s no one I would rather save the city with than my best dudette. What do you say Mari? Let’s be heroes?”

Four sets of eyes watched her all full of warmth and patience. A small whine built in the back of her throat before she took a deep breath and squeezed Alya’s hands tightly to steady herself. “I’ll… I’ll try Master Fu.”

“Excellent my dear.” Fu’s smile turned sly. “Now mister Lahiffe, if you would be so kind as to bring me that gramophone from behind you. We have much to do. “

Nino’s determined grin fell into confusion as he turned and inspected the old ornate record player sitting on the dresser. “Um… Master Fu? If we need like uh… mood music or something I’ve got plenty of stuff on my cell. I’ve even got some newer mixes I’ve been working on.” 

Tikki giggled sweetly before covering her mouth with her tiny paws. “That’s not exactly what the master has in mind Nino.” Nino still looked skeptical as he carefully picked up the antique and placed it on the chaise next to the old master. 

“Thank you Nino.” The master’s gentle smile didn’t change as he pressed a series of buttons on the side of the gramophone that had been concealed under a small panel. Alya and Marinette both gasped and stepped closer as the gramophone popped open revealing that it had been only a facade. The master reached inside and retrieved a beautiful black lacquered box decorated with beautiful Chinese calligraphy and iconography. 

“Is that the miracle box?” Alya asked in awe. Marinette had to suppress a chuckle as she felt her new friend nearly vibrating with excitement through their still clasped hands. Alya tugged her further forward so that the three teens now formed a semi circle around the master as he lifted the miracle box from the facade and placed it on the lounge. 

The top of the box opened now revealing four glimmering gems and several other empty slots. “Alya Cesaire, Nino Lahiffe, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng you must now choose a miraculous. With its power you and your new kwami partner will face the butterfly and the black cat. You will retrieve their miraculous and save Paris and all of its citizens. Do you accept?”

“Yes of course!” Alya’s hand released Marinette’s as it shot forward to hover over the box trembling as she hesitated. “But, Master Fu how do we choose?”

“Trust your instincts Alya. Choose the miraculous that calls to you.”

Alya’s fingers traced each gem slowly her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Her face suddenly relaxed as she wrapped long fingers around a necklace shaped like a fox tail and pulled it to her chest. “This one. This is my miraculous.”

“The miraculous of the fox is suited to those who are clever and cunning.” Fu smiled as Alya slipped the necklace over her head. As the pendant came to rest on her chest a small orange orb flew from the jewel whizzing around Alya’s head at mach speeds before solidifying into a small fox like kwami floating just in front of her face. “Trixx will grant you the power of illusion. A fine match indeed.”

“Not bad.” Trixx grinned slyly at the master. “I think this is the start of something beautiful for us kit. Listen up kit! You’re special ability is ‘mirage’. With that you can create an illusion to trick your enemies. Whenever you’re ready to go just say ‘Trixx lets Pounce!’ and when you want to detransform just say ‘Trixx let’s rest!’”

“Alright! Trixx let’s pounce!” Bright orange flooded the room engulfing Alya’s body in shimmering power causing Marinette and Nino to shield their eyes. As the light dimmed the two teens uncovered their eyes only to go slack jawed at the sight of their newly transformed friend. 

“Oh mon dieu..” Alya breathed as her hands travelled from her small domino mask up to her long pointed ears before finally settling around the staff like flute strapped to her back. “...I’m a superhero!”

“Alya! You look amazing!” Marinette rushed to her friends side her hands flitted all over the costumes before she took the long tail like waistcoat between her fingers and began to examine it. What is this stuff even made of? It’s like nothing I’ve ever worked with before.” As the two girls continued to chatter and bounce excitedly looking over every inch of the costume Fu gently reached out to squeeze Nino’s shoulder. 

“I uh… yeah dude of course.” Nino smiled back at Fu letting his own hand hover over the lacquered box. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose before firmly grasping a bracelet carved to resemble the shell of a turtle.

“The miraculous of the turtle grants the wielder the power of protection. Patient and wise, you will bring your team stability young Nino.” As he spoke a similar ball of green energy formed from the bracelet and began to circle Nino at a much more sedated pace. The orb came to rest near Nino’s outstretched palm taking the shape of a small turtle with a calm smile.

“Greetings young master. My name is Wayzz. I will grant you my power to protect those you care for with the power of ‘shellter’ a strong barrier that will keep your foes at bay. When you are ready you may transform simply by saying ‘Wayzz shell on’ and you may drop the transformation with ‘Wayzz shell off’.” 

“Okay let’s do it little dude! Wayzz shell on!” Both girls turns with excited gasps as Nino was overtaken by the green energy of the miraculous. When the magic faded Nino was left standing covered in a dark green suit. HIs hands were up as if he were going to nervously clutch at his hat but it had been replaced by a hood decorated like a turtle’s eye spots. He instead ran his hands down his face to find that his glasses had shifted and formed into well fitted goggles that covered his face like Alya’s mask. 

“Oh wow!” Alya was immediately in the boy’s face clutching his cheeks between her gloved palms. “This eyewear is great! I didn’t even think about my glasses being gone! I can see perfectly” Alya continued to chatter away while she closely examined Nino’s new form not noticing how pink had begun to tinge the poor boy’s face. 

Marinette has also come up behind her friend and was examining the shell on his back. “Nino is this a… shield?”

Nino snapped back to himself plushing brighter as he gently removed his face from Alya’s hands. He gave the shell an experimental tug gasping as it came away easily into his hands. “Whoa… I think so?”

Nino and Alya began to excitedly compare their new gear as Marinette stepped back to appraise the two. Her friends looked amazing and she knew they were going to make great heroes… but they were already amazing. She felt a pit of dreading forming in her stomach as she took a few small steps backwards. She was just a mess. What was she thinking she would just ruin everything if she tried to help. Still…Master Fu and Tikki were both watching her with patient smiles. Tikki’s large blue eyes found hers and the tiny god nodded encouragingly. 

“You can do it Marinette!” The kwami enthused zipping over to hug the nervous girls cheek. “I can sense it Marinette you will be wonderful!”

Buoyed by the kwami’s confidence Marinette found herself kneeling in front of the master and his box. For a second she simply inspected the two remaining miraculous and letting her palms rest on her knees. The first was a hair comb embossed with a bee. It reminded Marinette of some of the beautiful hair combs her mother kept in her own jewelry box. The ones she would sometimes take out and decorate their hair with on holidays. Initially she felt a strong pull to it, but her eyes kept coming to rest on the delicate pin shaped like a peacock’s fanned tail. Something about the pin was calling her. 

Before she was even conscious of doing it she had plucked the pin out and brought it closer to her face to examine. She noticed it was warm to the touch and nearly dropped it as she felt the metal begin to shift under her fingers. She watched as it became solid rose gold the small eye spots now shining pink diamond chips. Before she could process the shift the pin began to glow blue and just like Alya and Nino before her a blue orb zipped out of the gem spiraling around her in intricate almost excited loops. The orb stopped right between her eyes taking the shape of a small blue bird. The little creature seemed to vibrate in its excitement before letting out a happy squeal and plastering itself to the bridge of Marinette’s nose causing the girls wide eyes to cross. 

“I’m so excited to meet you chick! I’m Duusu and you’re going to be a beautiful hen I can just tell! 

Marinette blinked in confusion as her eyes found the master just in time to see his face shift from mild concern to amusement. “Duusu the kwami of emotion. Her peafowl are men and women of integrity. They are watchful and will provide their allies with guidance in their time of need.”

Marinette lifted on hand to cup Duusu’s body and give her a gentle affectionate squeeze. “Hello Duusu. I’m Marinette and… I’ll do my best.” 

“Don’t worry Marinette.” Chirped the kwami her dual toned pink eyes shining with excitement. “With my help you can use the strong emotions of yourself or an ally to breathe life into an object and summon a sentiknight, a physical embodiment of emotion! It’s abilities will be determined by the object and the emotion you use!” 

“That… sounds a little complicated.” Marinette nibbled her lip already second guessing her choice.

“It is not as straightforward as some other miraculous.” Fu agreed with a solemn nod. “Emotions can be difficult, but Duusu will guide you.”

“Master is right Marinette!” Duusu agreed emphatically. “We will learn together! When you want to make a sentiknight just channel your energy into one of your feathers ‘Fly little Feather’ will send your magic out into the object you desire!”

“My feathers?” Marinette echoed in confusion. The little blue kwami just giggled and patted the tip of her nose patiently.

“Don’t worry you’ll see! Now just say ‘Duusu fan my feathers’ and when you’re ready to be yourself again it’s ‘Duusu fall my feathers’!” 

“Okay… I can do this.” Marinette stood and attached the pin carefully to the pocket of her jeans. She blew a slow breath through her mouth before looking up to find Nino and Alya. Both were watching her with excited grins. Nino was giving her a big thumbs up and Alya was bouncing excitedly on her toes. “Duusu… fan my feathers!”

Watching the magic envelop her friends still hadn’t prepared her for the warmth that filled her body as Duusu was sucked into the gem on her hip with a jubilant squeal. She felt the power dance across her skin as the magical suit began to form and encase her body. Her pigtails tugged free of their elastics as she felt her hair being pulled into a high elegant bun the strands she could see in front of her face transitioning from deep black to a vibrant cerulean. She felt a slight weight spread across her face as a small domino mask formed sloping gently down her nose to a point near the tip reminiscent of a bird’s beak. The warmth quickly faded and Marinette opened her eyes blinking at her gaping friends trying to judge their reactions.

“Marinette your eyes look so cool!” Alya had already scrambled in front of her and was gazing at her face intently just as she had with Nino. Personal space was obviously not a problem for her new friend. “They look all pink just like Duusu’s did! And the blue lipstick really makes them pop! AND YOU HAVE A CAPE!” 

Alya was behind her quick as a flash clutching at said cape causing Marinette to stumble slightly as she gave it a small tug. Marinette looked down at her cape finding that it looked incredibly similar to Duusu’s feathery tail it covered her shoulders and came up to a high collar that was pinned close just above her chin. As she raised her hands to investigate she found that it also attached to her wrists giving it a very wing like appearance. She patted down the rest of her body finding her miraculous was now pinned to a sash tied securely around her hips the ends mimicked her cape and were left to dangle like several long feathers. A complimentary feathered hand fan was tucked near knot of the sash. The rest of the suit itself was similar to her friends’ in shades of blue decorated with pops of bright magenta.

Nino had also joined Alya with inspecting her and was now patting at the side of her head near her temple where a few long feathers appeared to be flowing from her hair. As he gently pulled on one Marinette felt a small pinch and noted with mild shock that it was attached to her scalp. 

“A fox, a turtle, and a peacock. A fine assortment of heroes to battle these new villains.” Fu mused as he closed the lid on the bee miraculous and placed the miracle box safely back inside the gramophone casing. 

“We won’t let you down Master!” Marinette grinned broadly feeling emboldened by the magic as she pulled Nino and Alya into a hug as the two cheered. “We’re ready to fight for Paris with you!”


	5. Shellter Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new heroes finally face down Stoneheart.

"Tikki spots on!" A bright red flash lit the room and then Master Fu was standing before them encased in his own magical suit. He managed to take only two steps before collapsing onto his hands and knees. The three teens all shouted in unison rushing to the fallen heroes side. Nino carefully helped him back to his feet before setting the man gently back down onto his futon while Marinette and Alya both hovered nearby with their hands outstretched tentatively as if to catch him. 

“I’m sorry children. I do not think my injuries will permit me to accompany you.” Fu frowned as he prodded his temple gently. 

“But Master Fu…” Marinette’s earlier confidence wilted. She nibbled her lip and wrapped her arms around her torso in a comforting hug. “We can’t do it alone. We don’t even know what we’re doing!”

“Marinette you must listen to me carefully. You have chosen and been accepted by your kwami. If you had been unworthy Dusuu would never have lended you her power. Now you must do your best to show her, yourself, and your teammates. You have the strength of your friends by your side my child you will not fail. As for dealing with the butterfly, to create a champion he must imbue his powers into a token. It can be virtually anything, but the akuma must have it on their person somewhere. You must break the object to set free the butterfly that is possessing them, then Stoneheart should return to normal.”

Nino hummed thoughtfully tapping his fingers against his shield. “Did you see the object when you fought against him earlier Master Fu?” 

“I did not young Nino. I can tell you that I did not see anything on the creature’s body that could be destroyed, but I did notice he kept his fists clenched tightly the entire fight. It is possible he is holding the object. You simply must find a way to make him release it.”

“Simply?” Fu smiled a bit at Marinette’s skeptical remark but continued on.

“When this… akuma is dealt with the three of you should easily be able to defeat Chat Noir and reclaim his miraculous. I must caution you that the black cat is not without his own power. He can summon pure destruction into the palm of his hand. You must not allow him to touch you with that power even with the protection of a miraculous it could prove fatal. Also, as you are all new wielders using your magic will be very taxing on you for some time. Be sure to call on your power only when you are in need or have your plan of attack ready. Once you call on your power will only have five minutes before your kwami must release its form leaving you as your civilian self once more. 

“Will Chat Noir be on the same timer if we can get him to use his power early on?” Marinette wondered aloud.

“It is possible, but do not count on it until we know our enemies more.We do not know how long this butterfly and cat have been bonded with their kwami or how compatible they are. The longer you are bonded with your miraculous and train your abilities the more powerful a holder will become. Eventually you will be able to hold your transformation for much longer. Some users have been able to achieve more than one ability with their miraculous or even call on their powers multiple times in a single transformation.”

“Take a moment to examine your weapons." He pulled out the magical yo yo he had been using in battle earlier as he spoke. Gently he tapped the top and the weapon popped open like a compact revealing it to be a communicator of sorts. "You can contact me through them if you need anything at all. They also have a variety of features that you will learn with time. Once you succeed you can notify me and I will use Tikki’s power to cast the miraculous cure and restore the city."

“Okay. Break the object, free the champion, defeat Chat Noir.” Marinette blew out a sharp huff slapping her cheeks twice with her palms to psych herself up. “Three things. Easy peasy. Now… how do we find them?” 

Nino, Marinette, and Master Fu all jumped as the loud voice of Nadja Chamack filled the small space. Alya was grinning at them from across the room waving the remote cheekily while she turned up the volume on the television.

“...Stoneheart is now headed towards Montparnasse Tower. The monster appears to be unstoppable!” As Nadja continued to repeat what little was known about the situation a live video played in the background taken from a helicopter as officers swarmed around the creature.

“Does he seem uh…bigger than before?” Alya was crouched now squinting at the screen in concentration. The group watched in shock as the officers suddenly opened fire on the akuma. As each bullet struck Stoneheart grew in size seemingly absorbing their impacts with no other outward reaction. “Okay… So uh… do not hit the akuma. That’s… good to know.” 

Alya grimaced watching the stone golem bat away the officers as if they were little more than gnats. She crossed the room and handed Master Fu the remote. “Here Master this way you can keep an eye on things from here. I think we need to go, team. We have a city to save.”

“Of course. One last thing before you go children. Your first lesson from me will be this, your identity is secret to everyone outside this room. None may know who lies beneath your mask. If your true selves were to be discovered you and everyone that you love would be in terrible danger. While we are transformed you may still call me Master, but you may also call me Crimson Beetle. You must also decide on names for yourselves and be sure to only use your new moniker while out in disguise.”

“Carapace.” Marinette and Alya both snapped their heads towards Nino as he reached behind him to firmly re-secure his new shield to his back. 

Marinette smiled hesitantly at her friend reachinh down anf brushing her fingers fondly against the glittering miraculous now pinned to her hip. “I’m… Bijou Bleue.” 

Alya placed her fists against her hips adopting a confident stance mimicking what Marinette recognized as Majestia’s pose from the comic she had shown off just this morning. “Then call me Rena Rouge.”

“Very good.” Fu’s smile was serene as he motioned to the door. “Now go save your home young heroes.”

____________________________________________________________________

Marinette could feel her heart lodge itself painfully in her throat as she stood with her friends on top of Master Fu’s roof. Despite the old man’s assurances that they would be able to safely traverse the Parisian rooftops as easily as he himself did, she felt nauseous at the thought. Sure, she had seen him flinging himself effortlessly with a magic yo yo with her own two eyes, but that wasn’t quite enough proof to have her step off a perfectly good roof. Before she could contemplate her recent life choices any further Rena Rouge gave an excited whoop as she rushed past her pushing off from the building’s edge with a strong kick and leaping high into the air. 

Marinette felt a terrified shriek bubbling in her throat, but it died on her tongue as she watched her friend soar gracefully through the air and land on an adjacent rooftop as though she had been doing it her whole life. Rena looked back at them with eyes rounded in astonishment before she began to laugh loudly and wave back at them enthusiastically. 

“Whoa.” Carapace murmured next to her before he too broke into a sprint and leapt from the buildings slight overhang. The turtle hero did not fly as far or as high as Rena had, but he cleared the gap with ease. Marinette couldn’t contain a delighted gasp when he seemed to instinctually tug his shield free mid jump landing on it like a skimboard and sliding across the roof before kicking it back up into his hands. 

“That was amazing guys!” She gushed cupping both hands around her mouth shouting in her exuberance.

“Thanks! Now come on Bijou Bleue! Let’s see you fly, peacock!” Rena called back with equal enthusiasm. That’s right, Marinette found herself thinking as she spread her feet slightly digging into the solid roof below. I’m a hero too. She didn’t give herself another moment to consider, afraid if she did she might march right back down to the safety of the Chinese massage parlor below. Instead she took two unsure steps backwards before dashing forward and surging high into the air. She had never felt so free as she did in that second as the wind blew through her hair, but as she began to descend she felt her stomach bottom out. Panic had just started to creep in when her long cape billowed out behind her catching the air and sending her into a gentle controlled glide. Okay… so that was actually pretty amazing.

The super powered trio shared excited grins and Carapace held out an expectant fist. “Dudes? Pound it?”

“Pound it!.” Rena and Bijou responded, pressing their fists firmly against his own. Then they were nothing more than blurs against the skyline as they flew and bounded their way towards Montparnasse. 

By the time they had traversed their way across the city the three had gotten a better understanding of their suits and their new found strength and agility. Rena leapt farther and faster than her two compatriots and was taking the opportunity to scout ahead. Carapace was intermittently jumping and using his shield to slide along imitating moves he had seen in old skateboarding games. For her part, Bijou was diving, gliding and floating along in an almost graceful manner. However, she stumbled and nearly plunged to the street below when she felt the war fan tucked in her sash pulse faintly with magic. 

She called out for her teammates to stop pulling the fan free as they quickly gathered around her. She clacked the fan open the feathers shimmering faintly with magic before displaying Crimson Beetle’s face as if it were a screen. 

“Bijou Bleue, you must change course. Stoneheart is now targeting a group of Lycee students at the Parc des Princes. He’s holding one hostage you must hurry.” 

“Yes Master! Is Chat Noir with him?” 

“I do not believe so. The reporter says he has not been seen him in some time. Stay on your guard.” The fan faded back to its normal feathered appearance and she tucked it swiftly back into her sash before they took off towards the stadium in a full sprint. “Ivan must still be looking for Kim!”

“You’re probably right!” Carapace agreed as he used his shield to grind across a large air conditioning unit. “Francois Dupont sometimes holds their physical education classes there.” 

“What did Kim even do to him this morning?” Rena called back from her position well ahead of the other two. 

“Kim was probably teasing him about something I’m sure. We’ve known Kim our whole lives.” Bijou sighed in exasperation. “He’s not a mean guy, but he can be a real meat head sometimes. I’m sure he wasn’t trying to make him angry. He was probably bugging him to ask out Mylene again.”

“Ivan has a crush on Mylene?” Rena asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Oh yeah.” Carapace nodded back as he kickflipped across a long gap. “Has since middle school, but he was never brave enough to ask her out.”

“Exactly!” Bijou agreed before tucking her arms against her side descending into a speedy dive onto the stadium’s edge. “I’m sure Kim was trying to encourage Ivan in his… own way.”

“Yeah. By being a jerk.” Carapace rolled his eyes as he crouched down between the girls and pointed at the scene below. “Speaking of the jerk, it looks like Stoneheart found who he was looking for.”

“Alright, so this is bad.” Bijou worried her lip as she watched Stoneheart squeeze Kim tightly, eliciting a pained yelp from the boy. “Look. Kim is in his left hand, but he still has his right one closed. The object must be there!”

“Right…” Carapace trailed off with a tense frown. “Now, how do we get it?”

“First we need to save Kim.” Bijou winced as the boy in question continued to thrash in his captors stony hold.

“How about we wait for just one more good squeeze?”

“Not funny Carapace.” Bijou huffed in irritation knocking the boy hard in the shoulder. 

“I think I’ve got an idea! Mirage.” Rena interrupted the bickering with a sly smile as she twirled the flute from her back and played a gentle tune. As she played a bright ball of orange formed at the end of the instrument before it zipped off engulfing all three of them in the orange glow. When the light faded the three of them were all perfect copies of Kim Le Chien. 

“Well. This is weird.” Carapace startled when he spoke shocked to find even his voice a perfect dupe for the jock. Pretty solid first illusion. “Alright let’s go save him so I can stop looking like this asap. I just hope Ivan forgives us for this.” 

“Hey Ivan!” Bijou shouted as she leapt to the stadium floor below and blew a childish raspberry at the akuma. “Glad to see making you bigger didn’t make you any smarter!” 

“Yeah Ivan.” The Kim she was pretty sure was actually Rena joined in from the other side of the stadium leaning against one of the walls as she pretended to inspect her nails. “You honestly can’t even tell you got the wrong guy. Tragic really.”

“Yeah dude. Guess you really are dumb as a rock now for real.” The Kim that was definitely Carapace chimed in from where he had managed to flank around the seething stone giant.

Stoneheart’s head whipped back and forth between the multiple Kim’s now surrounding him as well as the equally confused boy still clutched tightly in his fist before letting out a ground shaking bellow. “KIIIIIIIIIIIIIM! I’ll show you who's a wuss!” Stoneheart began to swing his fists wildly towards the three heroes as they dipped and dodged around the blows. After a few seconds of this a shrill beep came from Rena’s necklace.

“I guess that’s my first warning.” The fox disguised as Kim acknowledged with a frown as she ducked another blow. “We don’t have time to lose. Catch big guy!” Rena taunted before launching herself right towards Stoneheart’s face. The monster growled at the unexpected frontal assault opening his closed fist to snatch her out of the air. As soon as his fingers closed around her form the illusion dropped from all of them in a puff of orange smoke. 

“Ouch!” She wheezed with a small cough as the akuma squeezed her tightly. “I think after this is all over we need to have a conversation about exfoliating your hands. They’re a little rough!”

Bijou and Carapace darted forward aftrr Rena both intent on nabbing the black item that had been dropped. Bijou was just about to close her fingers about it when Carapace suddenly collided with her knocking the breath from her lungs.

“Cataclysm!”

“Shellter!”

When Bijou opened her eyes again Carapace was hunched over her holding his shield above them. Green energy extended from the edges forming a barrier around them and Chat Noir was crouched atop the magical force field. Deep inky magic swirled around his palm as he pressed it hard against the barrier. For a minute the two appeared to be at a stalemate, until hairline fractures began to extend across the shield the bubbling black energy seeping into the cracks. 

“Well, look what the chat dragged in.” The villain was leering at them from above. “Not that this isn’t fun and all, and I’m sure Hawkmoth will be happy to have your miraculous as well, but I had some unfinished business with Crimson Beetle. Why don’t you be a good friend and shell me where he’s hiding? Who are you losers anyway?”

“Bijou Bleue, grab the token quick!” Carapace grit his teeth as he fought to maintain the barrier against Chat Noir’s oppressive destruction magic. Bijou rolled from beneath her partner and crawled to the edge of the shield where the token, a crumpled piece of paper, had fallen. By some insane stroke of luck it had landed with them just inside the magical forcefield. She grasped the paper in both hands before swiftly ripping it in half. She startled and jumped back as a black butterfly emerged from the crumpled sheet and began to flutter in front of her face before somehow phasing through the green magic and vanishing into the stands. 

Several surprised yelps echoed through the stadium as bubbling black energy enveloped Stoneheart. When it cleared Kim, Rena, and a newly freed Ivan hovered in the air for a fraction of a second before dropping. Rena grabbed both the boys around the waist and tucked into a roll as they hit the ground, softening the landing for the two as much as possible. Her necklace chimed again as she popped to her feet. 

Carapace allowed his shellter to fall as he shoved Chat Noir away and jumped backwards a few feet to stand next to Bijou, his shield still held at the ready. The peacock hero tucked the two halves of paper into her sash trading it for her fan which she flicked open in one fluid move. 

“Looks like you’re really outnumbered now huh kitty?” She teased with a sly smile feeling emboldened by their partial success. “How about you give us your miraculous instead?” 

“What’s going on?” Ivan muttered as he stood holding his head as if pained and blinking blearily at the costumed figures around him. “What am I doing here?”

“Eh… I don’t know purretty bird. I think this looks a little better on me." Chat Noir held up his hand and waggled his fingers in her direction, giving Bijou her first real look at the black cat miraculous. The boy wore it on his right ring finger and as she watched one pad of the paw print emblem blinked and went dim as it let loose a beep just as another one echoed from Carapace's bracelet. Looks like he was on a timer too. She also couldn’t help but notice tiny arcs of black and green energy that seemed to spark around the metal. It felt… wrong, different from her own miraculous, but maybe it was just the essence of pure destruction that had her feathers standing on end. 

“Well, I would love to stick around and get to know the menagerie, but I should probably scat. I don’t think these odds are very fair. Adieu to this little zoo. I’m sure we will meet again.” With a rakish bow the blonde gripped his staff tightly causing it to extend rapidly propelling himself high into the air and over the stadium walls. 

Bijou gripped her cape prepared to follow but Carapace snagged her by the arm stopping her short. “Hold up Bluenette.” He tapped his bracelet as it let out another trill. “He’s got at least a few minutes on Rena and we don’t know if that put him on the same timer as me. We should regroup and speak with Crimson Beetle. Bijou looked to Rena hoping for some backup but the fox was staring down at her necklace in frustration as it let out its third chime. 

“I hate it, but he’s right. Besides we rescued Ivan so I’m counting this as a win for now.” Her cheeky smile was back in place but her twitching ears belied her frustration. Bijou knew they were right of course, but it still felt wrong like there was something more she could do…

“Kim!” She called out excitedly at her sudden realization. Hand me that soccer ball please!”

The boy jumped and pointed at himself looking startled to have been addressed but he quickly complied, snatching up the ball and jogging over. “Uh sure blue lady, but who are you three and how did you know our names?”

“I’m Bijou Bleue and these are my friends Rena Rouge and Carapace. We’re heroes and we’re here to protect Paris. It’s a hero's job to know who they’re protecting.” Bijou smiled as she plucked a single feather from her fan. She closed her eyes and concentrated feeling Dusuu’s magic flow through her as she imbued all of her determination to find the villain into it. “Fly little feather, help me follow Chat Noir.” When she opened her palm the glowing magenta feather floated free slipping out of her hand and merging with the soccer ball Kim still held.

The ball glowed brightly for a moment surprising Kim so badly he dropped it. Before the ball could hit the ground it flashed vibrant pink and transformed before their eyes. Bijou couldn’t help but giggle at the little creature staring up at her with dual pink eyes that mimicked her own. It was a pygmy owl… sort of. It was much larger, about the size the soccer ball had been and it also retained the soccer ball's black and white pattern. 

“Hello little friend. My sentiknight, please help me. Find Chat Noir and follow him. Be my eyes. Go quickly!” A soft blue outline glowed around the sentiknights face and she felt the same blue glow surround her own eyes. Suddenly she was seeing through both of their eyes at once and the duality nearly gave her vertigo though she acclimated quickly. Dusuu’s doing no doubt. Then her knight was hooting loudly, a sound somewhere between an owl and a soccer ball deflating, before it took to the sky headed in roughly the same direction Chat Noir had gone.

“Well… that was freaking adorable.” Rena giggled as she approached her team her necklace chiming its fourth and final warning. “We really gotta shake our tails though. Pound it?”

“Pound it!” Bijou and Carapace cheered loudly as they bumped their firsts hard enough to sting. 

Carapace and Rena vaulted high over the stadium walls disappearing from sight. Bijou turned to follow them before snapping her fingers as she remembered the paper still tucked in her sash. “Oh, Ivan! This is yours. I’m sorry I had to rip it.” She glanced down at the torn paper murmuring softly as she read it. “You haven’t even got the guts to tell Mylene you love her. Wuss.”

Gasping she snapped her head up to look at Kim who was, to his credit, kicking at the dirt and rubbing his neck guiltily. “I’m… I’m really sorry Ivan. I wasn’t trying to be so mean honest. I just thought if I nudged you in the right direction you might finally go for it. You’ve been pining after her for years now!” 

Ivan only frowned as he took the two halves of paper crumpling them back up and stuffing them in his pocket. He turned on his heel to leave without acknowledging Kim.

“Ivan! I’m sorry this happened to you!” Bijou exclaimed as she reached out quickly and took one of the boy's large hands between her own. “Don’t let people get under your skin. There’s no shame in telling someone you love them and there’s no shame in doing it on your own terms. As for you Kim, I hope you learned something from all this. A person's emotions are very personal things and they aren’t something for others to play with or take advantage of.”

“Yes. You’re right, miss. I am really sorry. Honest.”

“I know you are Kim. Just do better.” Bijou smiled as she stepped back and waved cheerfully at the two of them. “Gotta fly!”

Kim and Ivan watched as the final hero left them disappearing against the Parisian sunset. “What in the hell just happened?” Kim blinked at the high walls of the stadium all of the heroes had just leapt over with ease. Ivan only grunted in reply and turned to leave again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw heck yeah pt 1 of origins pretty much wrapped up.


	6. When You Try Your Best, But You Don't Succeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new heroes bask in their victory perhaps a bit immaturely.

As she sat with Alya and Nino munching on a small plate of baked goods, Marinette couldn’t help but marvel at the tiny gods who were intermittently chasing one another through the potted plants arranged on her small balcony and sneaking over to steal treats. 

The group had managed to duck into the quiet alley behind her parents bakery before they were one by one encased in the sparkling transformation magic. Her parents had been so relieved to see them safe and whole that they really didn’t question their stuttered excuses as they pulled them all inside. In moments a variety of snacks had been shoved into their hands and they were ushered upstairs with orders to call Nino’s and Alya’s parents and let them know they were safe. The three teens were now grinning widely while they watched the news play on Marinette’s laptop. The high of victory outweighing the post magic exhaustion for the time being. 

“So it seems we finally have names of Paris' newest masked vigilantes. The trio identified themselves as Carapace, Bijou Bleue, and Rena Rouge after rescuing several children from the creature known as Stone Heart.” Nadja Chamack was speaking on screen interviewing Kim and Ivan while blurry pictures and video clips of the new heroes that had been captured by the city’s denizens scrolled by in the background. “Footage captured earlier today showed a fourth man clad in red who did not appear at the Parc de Princes for the final confrontation and has yet to be identified.”

The feed suddenly cut to Mayor Bourgeois who was smiling widely at the camera while the many journalists in the crowd shouted questions and snapped pictures. “I am pleased to inform the citizens of Paris that we will host a huge celebration in honor of these brave heroes. While there is much we don’t know right now I feel confident that these brave young people acted with Paris’ best interests in mind to protect us from the evil Chat Noir and his stone monster. I sincerely hope they will all attend this celebration and meet with myself and our fine law enforcement officers at the Paris Police Prefecture so that we can discuss the situation further. I assure you Paris, that I will keep you all informed and I remind you that, as always, you are my highest priority. No further comments at this time. Thank you.”

The news reel continued on as experts speculated on the heroes’ origins and intentions, as well as their abilities. None seemed to have any explanation for how the massive collateral damage to the city had been instantly undone… other than magic.

To be honest even the heroes themselves couldn’t really answer that yet. After Marinette’s sentiknight had failed to locate Chat Noir, that boy was fast, she had called Crimson Beetle and reported on their partial success. She had just snapped her fan closed when a swarm of ladybugs had washed over the entire city and their bodies. Marinette couldn’t suppress a small shudder as she remembered the feeling. They may have been magical ladybugs, but the thought of insects skittering all over still made her scalp crawl a bit. When the swarm receded the entire city was just as it had been that morning, even Alya’s phone and Nino’s bag had been magically returned to them in perfect condition.

“Marinette! Honey, dinner is almost ready, are your friends going to be joining us?”

“No thank you Mrs. Dupain-Cheng!” Alya called down into the room grabbing one last fruit tart and shoving Trixx into her bag. She made sure to slip the pouting fox a ripe strawberry off the top. “My parents want me home soon. I'm just about to head out. Thank you so much for letting me stay here for a while though everything was delicious!” 

“Same here Mama Sabine. The attack made Maman nervous. I think she really just wants to see me for herself. Thanks for letting us hide out here while everything settled down. You guys really are the coolest!” Nino had slung his own bag over his shoulder and was setting Wayzz up with a few blueberries before he joined Alya near the hatch in Marinette’s floor whispering to both girls under his breath before they began their descent. “Alright dudes, meet at Fu’s tonight when everyone’s asleep.”

“Of course you two!” Sabine enthused smiling gently as the trio emerged down the stairs. “Nino you know you’re always welcome here and it was lovely to meet you Alya we’re so glad to have met you. Come back anytime dear. Marinette why don’t you go wash up for dinner sweetie?. I’ll walk your friends to the door.”

“Yes maman.” Marinette closed the bathroom door and flipped the lock. She turned the shower knob and the ambient sounds of water filled the room. Duusu emerged from where she had been tucked into her collar her fuschia eyes wide with wonder at the modern bathroom. Marinette grinned goofily reaching out snugglinf the kwami to her cheek which earned her a tiny giggle. “I can’t believe we really did it Duusu!”

“I told you that you would do wonderfully chick, and you’ll only get better I know it!” Duusu’s tail fanned out behind her as she practically vibrated in excitement. “You even summoned your first sentiknight!”

Marinette bit her lip to keep from laughing remembering her little owl knight. “He was pretty cute. It’s just too bad he couldn’t find Chat Noir. If we could have followed him we could have maybe seen him transform or found his evil lair or something.”

“Even if it didn’t exactly work out it was a good idea Marinette.” Duusu gave an encouraging smile and patted the girl’s nose with her tiny paw. “Don’t worry we will get Plagg and the ring back in no time.”

“Plagg? Is that Chat Noir’s kwami?” 

“Oh yes!” Duusu’s expression did an immediate 180 huge tears suddenlh brimming in her eyes. “Poor Plagg! Poor Nooroo! They’ve been missing for so long and it’s my fault and I miss them so much and now some villain has them and it’s so saaaaaaad!”

Marinette was surprised to find tears welling in her own eyes as she tried to console the now bawling kwami who was almost impossible to understand through her shuddering sobs. “Oh Duusu please don’t cry! You said yourself, we are going to get them back soon!”

“You’re right Marinette.” Duusu sniffled wiping at her face with her long tailfeathers. “I’m sorry. I get carried away sometimes.”

“It’s ok Duusu. Our feelings are what make Bijou Bleue strong after all. Oh yeah! Speaking of feelings, Duusu when I saw Chat’s miraculous today it felt... wrong.”

“What do you mean Marinette?” Duusu was now sitting in the open palm of her hand looking up with her already large eyes almost comically round.

“It was...like his magic was leaking out of it? Maybe? I’m not sure how else to describe it.”

“I don’t know Marinette. When we are transformed I can’t really see what’s happening anymore. I become a… magical extension of you.” Duusu hummed as she began to preen her tailfeathers nervously. “We should tell the master when we go back tonight. Maybe one of the others noticed something too!”

Marinette gave a firm nod before shucking her clothes and stepping under the blessedly warm spray. She couldn’t stop the relieved moan that escaped as the heat worked to soothe her overworked muscles. Duusu quickly joined her zipping in and out of the steady stream with a delighted laugh.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After dinner Marinette returned to her room and set to work on a high waisted skirt that had been sitting on one of her mannequins for a few weeks. It had been a spur of the moment project and she had lost interest in the simple design part way through, but after seeing her miraculous camouflage state she had been struck by inspiration. In just a few short hours the basic shape had come together and she was feeling very pleased with the design. The pastel skater style skirt would be high waisted so she could pin her miraculous to her hip and still cover the gem with a slouchy shirt. The edges were bold, scalloped with wide lace in a way that reminded her of Duusu’s feathers. At this rate she was sure it would be ready to wear in the morning.

She and her teammates had all decided it was best they keep their miraculous hidden when possible. The camouflage states they seemed to enter when not in use were very different from the bright shimmering jewels that adorned their hero costumes, but they all agreed it was better to be safe than sorry. Alya could simply tuck the gold and silver foxtail necklace into her shirt, and Nino’s jade bracelet was easily concealed amongst the variety of other bands on his wrist. The brooch would be a little harder to conceal, but Marinette wasn’t complaining. In fact, she was already filling a mental sketchbook with designs for an entire new wardrobe inspired by the miraculous. Duusu cooed and chattered away while she stitched. The kwami seemed content playing in tbe piles of soft fabric scraps. She also had no qualms about complimenting her new chosen’s eye for beauty. 

“Oh Tom! Come look!” Her maman’s shocked cry startled her just as she was adjusting the delicate lace edges sending a needle straight into her finger. Marinette popped the bleeding digit in her mouth attempting to soothe the burning sting as she made her way downstairs to see what had her mother so upset. She entered the living room to find that her papa was clutching maman to his side as an urgent news bulletin scrawled across the television screen.

“Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news! Just as we were preparing to celebrate the appearance of our new heroes, a fresh wave of panic has settled over Paris as dozens of people around the city are being mysteriously transformed into stone monsters!” As Nadja continued to speak Marinette let out a strangled noise tripping down the last few stairs. She could feel her phone vibrating furiously in her pocket. Nino and Alya had both undoubtedly just caught the same news report. “These victims appear identical to the earlier stone monster that rampaged the streets this afternoon, Stoneheart. However, they seem frozen still as statues! The police are perplexed and at this time there has been no statement from Mayor Bourgeois or the heroes that defeated Stoneheart. As we all anxiously await any kind of news we can only wonder if these people can be saved, or will they be frozen in time forever?” 

“Honey! Are you alright?” Sabine rushed over to check on her daughter who sat trembling at the base of the stairs. Tom was right on her heels quickly scooping Marinette into his arms and smoothing her hair back in an attempt to soothe the obviously upset girl.

“Marinette, I know how upsetting and scary this is, but don’t worry sweetie. We’ve got superheroes looking out for Paris now, and the best way we can help them is to show them that we’re not scared because we trust them.” Tom’s face was set in a confident smile as he spoke and Marinette couldn’t help but smile back at the bear of a man. 

“Thanks Papa. You’re the best… I think I’m going to turn in early. I’m pretty exhausted. It’s been a long day.”

“Of course, get some rest honey. Do you need me to bring you up anything?” 

“No Maman, thank you though. Goodnight, I love you both.” She gave them both a firm squeeze before bounding back up the stairs and securing her hatch with a firm click. She collapsed onto her work desk chair and pulled her phone free from her pocket purposefully ignoring Duusu’s worried gaze. Just as expected her call log was full of texts and missed calls from Nino and Alya. 

“Duusu?” She whispered numbly as she finally looked into the little god’s vibrant pink gaze. “What’s happening? I thought we saved Ivan.”

“Oh, I’m not sure Marinette!” Duusu’s voice was shrill, a perfect reflection of Marinette’s own anxiety. “We should go to the master right away!”

Marinette nodded nervously before tapping out a horribly misspelled text to her friends with trembling fingers. She hoped autocorrect made it at least mostly legible. “Duusu! Fan my feathers!”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, as the three young heroes knelt untransformed around Fu’s low table sipping from their hot cups of chamomile tea, Marinette was relieved to note her hands weren’t the only ones shaking. The quick run over had been terrible. The three had met up near the Louvre where several of the statues stood taped off and guarded by officers. As they had dashed across the skyline they spotted more and more of the stone giants scattered all over the city, dozens of them. 

The worst part had been the civilians on the street. Several had caught sight of them as they dove from roof to roof and had begun to call out for them. Some were angry, some confused, some cried for help as they reached up to them begging them to save a loved one, and countless others had their phones screaming and demanding answers while they recorded. The heroes didn’t stop instead hunching their shoulders and slinking deeper into the shadows as they raced onward.

Master Fu had been mostly silent so far, only welcoming them as they arrived and pushing hot tea into their cold hands. The kwami were seated on the table chatting quietly with Tikki taking turns zipping up to comfort their chosen before flitting back to the conversation. All the while the news droned on in the background.

“These stone beings are now scattered all over Paris and, for the time being, are showing no signs of movement. Police have cordoned off the areas and are urging citizens to stay indoors and not approach these creatures. Reports are coming in from citizens claiming to have spotted the masked heroes out and about just moments ago. Parisians everywhere are waiting with bated breath for news from our new guardian angels and praying for the safe return of their loved ones…”

Marinette flinched visibly as pictures of the petrified Parisian’s flashed along the screen along with some grainy recordings obviously submitted from the bystanders they had passed by earlier. She was sure watching Carapace, Rena, and Bijou surveying the scene with obvious worry on their face was doing nothing to ease Paris’ fears. Nino must have agreed with her sentiment. He had tugged his cap down low on his eyes and turned his back to the sxreen. Even Alya’s perpetual excitement seemed to fail her as she sat with shoulders slumped. 

“I must apologize to you, children. I’m afraid this is all my fault. I failed to account for the scope of the butterflies’ abilities. I must admit that I was still only training myself when the tragedy occurred and the cat and butterfly miraculouses were lost. So much information was lost that day.” The man sighed heavily as he bowed deeply to them. “I sent you children into a battle woefully unprepared and you have my deepest apologies for that.”

Tikki floated before the deflated teens her antenna hanging limp as she also bowed her head. “I had not considered it before either and I truly should have. In the past a strong butterfly wielder could multiply the butterflies and create a swarm to summon an army of champions! But it only ever occurred after many years of rigorous training I never thought it possible that an average human could unlock such powers unassisted. Marinette, you said you saw the ‘akuma’ emerge from the victim. What did it look like?”

“Oh uh…” Marinette startled at the sudden attention sloshing a few drops of tea on the table. “ It was black and it felt kind of… sick maybe?”

“I was afraid of that.” The spotted kwami murmured sharing a glanced with her wielder. “The butterfly miraculous is the miraculous of transmission. It allows the user to transmit great power to another who and someone who is experiencing a strong emotion will gain the most power. The butterfly and the peacock are very similar in that manner. Master, This Hawkmoth is obviously filling the butterflies with intense negative energy when he releases them to find a host. Just freeing them from their object won’t be enough, letting it go allows the negative emotions to amplify and gives it enough power to duplicate… rapidly it seems. We have to purify the negative emotions from them to truly break his influence or else this could happen again.”

“Okay.” Alya was now leaning forward, her excitement already beginning to replace the momentary melancholy once again. “How do we do that?”

“Well,” Tikki floated gently back to the table as her antenna twitched thoughtfully. “A ladybug could do it. My power over creation could basically remake the butterfly into what it’s truly meant to be...but having a ladybug on the front line is incredibly risky right now with the villains already in possession of the black cat.”

“What makes the cat and ladybug so special?” Nino’s brows furrowed as he watched all the kwami’s exchange furtive glances.

“...It’s far beyond your ability right now Nino, but it’s possible to wield two miraculous at once. It takes an enormous toll on the body and requires a lot of training to be able to do it and even then it can be dangerous. All kwami are powerful of course, but myself and Plagg were the very first. We are creation and destruction and wielding those two results in amazing power. If Chat Noir or Hawkmoth were to take my miraculous… we would never defeat them.”

“Tikki and I discussed much while you three fought today. We don’t see any way around using the miraculous cure to repair the city, without it I’m sure Paris would be in ruins in just mere weeks. I will continue to transform alongside you and we will cast the cure from a different place each time to keep them off our trail.” Fu’s expression was determined as he touched his lobe. ”Still, we should keep the ladybug earrings away from the battlefield whenever possible. I’m well past my prime children, Chat Noir almost defeated me today this would have all been over before we ever had a chance. You must also understand how dangerous it would be to let you use the earrings in your current state… perhaps after training one of you could become the new Ladybug, but for now it is just far too dangerous.”

“There’s good news though!” Tikki chirped with a wide smile as she attempted to cheer up the obviously put out heroes. “Marinette can purify these akuma as well!”

“Me?!” Marinette choked on the hot tea she had suddenly inhaled breaking into a violent coughing fit and spewing liquid on the poor kwami. Both Nino and Alya pattied her back furiously as she continued to splutter. 

“Yes!” Tikki continued unperturbed by the girl's panic stricken face. “The butterfly may use emotion, but the peacock IS emotion! With Duusu’s power you could control the emotions that infect the akuma and set it free!”

“Tikki what are you talking about?! This whole thing is my fault! If Nino hadn’t pulled me out of the way Chat Noir would have KILLED me! I’m the one that let that butterfly go! And I’m just going to keep messing up…” Marinette’s eyes burned as she blinked back tears. “I”m sure you’ll all just be better off without me getting in the way.”

“Girl are you crazy?” Marinette’s world spun when Alya grabbed her by the shoulders and quickly turned her around to face her. “We did GREAT today! Yeah we messed up a little, so what? It was our first time and we didn’t know. Now we do, and we are gonna catch that little butterfly and purify the hell out of it.”

“Alya’s right dudette.” Nino had leaned into her now as well wrapping an arm around her in a tight side hug. “Besides you’re not in this alone; we’re a team! I saved you just like you would have saved me. Everyone needs help sometimes Mari that’s what friends are for. Plus I saw you go back to talk to Kim and Ivan after we were done fighting. You didn’t have to do that, but you did. You’ve got the heart for this I know it.”

“Your friends are wise for ones so young Marinette. You all did very well today. This is simply an unforeseen circumstance, one none of us could have been prepared for. However, we will overcome it together. Hawkmoth will have to make his move soon and then we will end this nonsense.” Fu frowned as he read the text still scrolling across the screen. “It seems the mayor has opted to continue normal operations tomorrow including school. It would be best if you all go home and get some rest tonight. I’m sure we won’t have to wait long.”

The teens had begun to gather up their kwami and shuffle towards the door when Marinette suddenly whirled around nearly headbutting Alya in the process. “Master Fu I remembered something else! When Nino held Chat Noir back with shellter earlier, I got a good look at his miraculous. I think… something’s wrong with it.”

“What do you mean Marinette?”

“Well,” She looked at Nino hoping for some input but he simply looked as confused as Fu. “Even after he used his cataclysm it looked like there was energy around it sparking. It looked like it was leaking magic.”

“This news is most troubling. If Chat Noir’s miraculous is damaged it could cause terrible side effects for the user and kwami. I do not even know if it would be possible to remove it from his person in that state.” Fu stroked his beard thoughtfully his eyes on the ornate gramophone across the room. “If only the ancient text had not been lost with the temple perhaps there was something in it that could help us… I will consult the other kwami and see what is known. The next time you cross paths with the black cat examine the ring closely perhaps he might even reveal something to us himself. Do not let your guard down young heroes. Stay vigilant.”


	7. Thanks Chloe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paris Mayor decides to continue city operations as per normal despite a super villain terrorist targeting a child because he's an idiot. In other news Chloe is still the worst.

The next morning at school Alya gushed over Marinette while the young designer twirled a bit to show off her new skirt. “Girl, you really made that whole thing last night?”

“Well, not the whole thing. I had some of it already stitched up, but I hadn’t had the inspiration to finish it. After everything that happened last night I just couldn’t get to sleep and I decided to get it done.” Marinette brushed her slouchy sweater down purposefully concealing the peacock brooch pinned at her hip.

“I know what you mean girl. That’s why I stayed up all night making this!” Alya shoved her magically repaired smartphone directly into Marinette’s face just centimeters away from her nose. Marinette felt her eyes across as she tried to read the blurry text from the bright screen. “I call it The Guardian Grid...working title. It’s a blog dedicated to bringing the people of Paris the latest news about the world’s coolest superheroes. How awesome is that? I mean right now it’s just some compilations of pics and videos from the news and that fans have been submitting, but just look at these views!”

“I don’t know Alya...don’t you think that’s pretty dangerous?” Marinette was nibbling her lip nervously clutching at the purse Duusu was hiding in currently munching away on the packet of pumpkin seeds Marinette had managed to snag from the bakery.

“Don’t sweat it Mari! I did research all last night to make sure this was super secure. I’m using a VPN and everything is locked up tight. No one will ever know it's me I posted it under an alias; just call me Lady Wifi. Plus, with enough work we could use this to really help us. Just think, people could post sightings and we could use it to get important information to the masses.”

“What are we talking about?” Both girls yelped when a heavy arm fell over each of their shoulders. They hadn’t even noticed Nino approaching.

“Sorry dudettes.” Nino chuckled in a distinctly not sorry tone as he continued to steer the two girls up the stairs and into the school yard. “Maybe this is an after school conversation?” The girls flushed a little as they allowed Nino to escort them to Mlle. Bustier’s class. It seemed everyone they passed in the hallways was discussing yesterday’s attack.

“I can’t believe we actually had to come to school today.”

“Why did they let that boy come back even though those stone statues are everywhere? He obviously did it somehow. He should be in jail.”

“What about those so called ‘heroes’? They haven’t even shown their faces since the statues started popping up.”

Nino gave the girls shoulders a gentle squeeze, but didn’t say anything. He steered them along through the hallway past the gossiping masses until they finally entered the classroom to find a majority of the class crowded around Ivan’s desk. Only Chloe remained at her desk tapping away on her cell phone while Sabrina remained by her side ever vigilant. When Chloe saw the group enter she stood primly and sneered in their direction.

“Dupain-Cheng, you and your little do-gooder friend can have these atrocious seats back.” Chloe made a show of pulling out the large piece of gum she had been loudly smacking. She held Marinette’s gaze as she stuck the gum firmly to the bench she had just been sitting at. With a small snort she flipped her ponytail and sashayed back to her usual desk by the classroom window. She motioned her hand for Sabrina to gather their items and follow. “My Adrikins decided it’s better for him to maintain his homeschooling instead of demeaning himself here amongst all of you commoners. I’m sure you’re little brains wouldn't have been able to function in his presence anyway. His beauty is beyond you.”

“How noble of him.” Alya drawled sliding into the desk behind Nino and beginning to pick at the gum with a tissue Marinette had fished from her purse. 

“If it means that we don’t have to deal with another Chloe I’m counting it as a win.” Marinette muttered scrunching her nose in distaste at the long string of the sticky gum Alya had managed to pull nearly a foot off the bench. The girls shared a look of amazement before agreeing they would just have to cover the gum with the tissue for now. Some poor janitor was just going to have to deal with that later.

As they got settled in Alya quickly stretched across the desk excitedly showing Nino her new blog. Nino seemed impressed enthusiastically shoving his own phone towards her claiming he had been mixing the perfect track to play on the page. Marinette smiled at the two before pulling out her sketchbook determined to add some details to the cable knit skater dress she was working on before the first bell rang. She lost herself in her work but was snapped back to attention when Chloe scoffed loudly from across the room. The heiress had turned in her seat sneering at the back of the room.

“Once a monster, always a monster.” Ivan’s face contorted in rage. He stood up in one quick motion sending his chair clattering to the floor. The boy focused on Chloe for a second as if he might say something before he turning and marching determinedly towards the door. Chloe chortled haughtily into her hand as he disappeared around the door frame. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

“How could you say that to Ivan?!” Alya shouted, slamming her hands on the table in irritation. “You’re the real Stoneheart!” 

Chloe simply quirked one bored eyebrow. She didn’t respond, instead blowing a huge bubble with her fresh piece of gum and popping it loudly.

“ARGH!” Alya released a frustrated growl and began to crawl straight over the table intent on reaching the blonde. “You little…”

“Oh no!” Chloe cried dramatically throwing a hand across her forehead. “Look out! Miss high and mighty is angry. Watch out she might split her panties and turn into a huge muscled monster!” 

Alya let loose another strangled snarl before lunging at Chloe. Luckily Nino’s reflexes were good from his years of babysitting and he was able to snag her by the waist mid air. He shared a long suffering look with Marinette as he stood and began to drag a still struggling Alya towards the door. Marinette pinned Chloe with a cold glare before scooping up her friend's belongings and chasing after them.

As she reached the doorway she had to spin to avoid bowling over Mlle. Bustier which of course caused her to pitch face first into the door jamb. Chloe led the class in a loud round of laughter while Marinette did her best to ignore them… and the stinging pain coming from her nose.

“Marinette? Are you alright?” Mlle. Bustier looked concerned glancing between Marinette and the retreating backs of Nino and Alya. “Where are you three going? The tardy bell is about to ring.”

“Sorry Mlle.” Marinette smiled slowly beginning to back down the hallway away from her teacher “Ivan was really upset about yesterday. I think he got a little overwhelmed so we’re just going to go check on him. We’ll be right back, promise! Thanks!” Marinette had started talking faster and faster as she reversed, finally turning on her heel and darting away with one final, “Sorry!” 

“Well,” Nino mused as she turned the corner to find both him and a still fuming Alya waiting for her. “That went smoothly.”

“Ugh, shut up Nino. I panicked ok?” Besides we really do need to find Ivan.” She glanced down the hallway making sure they were alone before she continued in a furious whisper. “Before you know who does you know what.”

“Alright.” Nino agreed easily. “I’ll go check the bathrooms. Alya can head over to the library and hopefully walk off some steam. How about you check the lockers?” 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette did in fact find Ivan in the locker room. The boy sat with his back against the wall, his head resting on his knees and his arms wrapped around them loosely. His eyes were shut and he appeared to have put in his earbuds just blocking out the entire world. Marinette scanned the room quickly heaving a relieved sigh at the distinct lack of black butterflies as she approached. She didn’t say anything, instead she put her own back against the wall and slid down gently next to her friend. When she was seated she playfully nudged him with her shoulder making sure to give him her most genuine smile.

“You should tell Mylene.” She almost laughed at the boy exaggersted startle. He flushed all the way to the tips of his ears and began to stutter.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Marinette. Go away.”

“Ivan, I’ve seen the way you look at her-don't frown at me!” She continued to smile reaching out and placing a hand on the boy’s knee. “You just need to talk to her. Try to be positive.”

Ivan’s fingers twitched and the large boy seemed to shrink into himself. “I’m no good with words.”

“Oh Ivan, you don’t have to use words. You could send her flowers! Or-”

“I could...write her a song?”

“That’s a great idea Ivan! Every girl would love a song written just for them.”

Ivan finally smiled back at her, small and sheepish, before he jumped up and rushed off in excitement. Marinette watched him go resting her face in her palms.Her smile serene as she let the waves of love rolling off the boy cocoon her. Whoa, wait...what? Marinette startled and glanced down at her bag where Duusu was peeking out with a similar dreamy expression on her small face. 

“Duusu, what just happened?”

“Marinette, that was wonderful! Your natural empath abilities are amazing!”

“My what?!”

“You’re empath abilities of course! The peacock is the miraculous of emotion. It’s important for you to be able to sense another’s emotional state so you can choose the perfect person to gift a sentiknight. The peacock and butterfly are unique because even if you’re far away or can’t make it to a battle yourself, you can choose someone to share your power with and send them in your place! But you have to be able to choose those with good and powerful emotions. Being an empath simply means you can perceive another emotional state in a tangible way. Isn’t it amazing?! Feeling someone else so in love! It’s just beautiful!.” Big happy tears had welled up in the little mercurial kwami’s eyes and Marinette found herself blinking back tears as well. This was going to take some getting used to. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marinette met back up with Nino and Alya in the courtyard where her newest friend seemed to be taking out her anger on Nino’s worn old hacky sack. It didn’t take much for Marinette to join in and soon the two were both ranting about Chloe whilst they passed the toy back and forth. Nino was browsing something on his phone but nodded along placatingly allowing the girls to vent as they passed the little sandbag back and forth with more force than was strictly required. The two had just finally managed to work through their pent up aggression when a chorus of screams rang out school’s second story and an explosion of debris rained down from above forcing the three to dive under the nearby stairwell. 

“Oh no!” Marinette wailed as she tugged on her pigtails in distress. “This is all my fault! I told Ivan he should go confess to Mylene! He was so happy and she’s so sweet I was sure she would say yes. I don’t know what could have happened.”

“Don’t worry about it now Bluebird. We have an akuma to stop. Trixx let’s pounce!”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group sat on top of the school roof watching Stoneheart trudge through the crowded city streets. In one fist he clutched a sobbing Mylene, and in the other Chloe was struggling and screaming into her phone. 

“As satisfying as it is to watch Chloe get what she deserves, I guess we should follow them.” Rena crouched low ready to propel herself, but Bijou grabbed her by the forearm.

“Hold on Rena. We need to call Crimson Beetle first.”

Carapace had already retrieved his shield from his back and was tapping one of the panels. It blinked before flashing into a wide bright screen displaying several icons. Nino blinked at the surprisingly advanced display before he pressed the small ladybug icon. In seconds Crimson Beetle’s face appeared.

“Master,” Bijou frowned leaning over Carapace’s shoulder closer to the screen. “Hawkmoth has taken control of Ivan again. Stoneheart is on the move.”

“Yes Bijou, I saw the statues begin to move on the news and was afraid that was the case.”

“The statues?” Rena and Bijou echoed sharing a perplexed head tilt.

“Uh… dudettes, check that out.” The girls followed Carapace’s outstretched finger in the direction Stoneheart had been traveling. They found Stoneheart with ease, fifteen foot stone monster hello, but he was no longer alone. The stone statues from around the city had indeed reanimated and were now swarming around Ivan’s larger form as he led a procession of destruction down the main thoroughfare. Cars were sent flying through the air where more and more of the stone golems pushed through the traffic clogged street while panicked citizens struggled to get out of the way screaming as they fled. 

Carapace scratched at his hood with a frown tilting his shield up so Crimson Beetle could see the scene unfolding. “Yeah that’s like… super duper bad dudes.”

“Follow Stoneheart; I’m on my way. Do not engage the akuma until I arrive unless it is absolutely necessary, and be on the lookout for Chat Noir. You must not let your guards down. Hurry children.” As Carapace shield returned to its usual appearance a voice below shouted out to them.

“Hey heroes!” The three blinked at one another before they finally found Alix waving up at them through the gaping hole Stoneheart had left in his wake. “What are you waiting for? Go save my friends! ...And Chloe I guess if you have time.”

Rena didn’t even try to cover her bark of laughter and Carapace’s snort wasn’t much better. Bijou bit her own lip to keep from smiling as she elbowed the other two heroes peeking her head down into the hole. 

“Don’t worry. I promise we’ll get all of your friends back safe and sound. You all just stay inside the school and keep safe… maybe in a more structurally sound room if possible?” Mlle. Bustier seemed to finally recover from her shock at the gentle prompt and began to quickly usher students out the door as the heroes leapt off the rooftop in hot pursuit of the akuma. 

They arrived at the Eiffel Tower just in time to hear Mayor Bourgeois making his demands for his daughter’s return. Stoneheart completely ignored the man climbing steadily towards the tower's peak. Bijou’s heart nearly stopped when Stoneheart pausied seemingly agreeing with the mayor, only to pitch a screaming Chloe towards the ground with terrifying force. She acted on pure instinct alone leaping high into the air to catch the girl in a bridal carry. She held on tightly as she willed her cape to slow her fall smiling down at Chloe she only hoped her smile looked reassuring because she was still internally freaking the fuck out. Sure she didn’t like Chloe, but she wasn’t ready to watch anyone die.

Chloe was gazing up at her with wide glassy eyes her face flushed a bright pink, most likely from the shock of her near death experience. Bijou nearly dropped her when she suddenly screamed right in her face. “I didn’t promise!”

“What?!” Bijou’s expression remained bewildered as her feet finally touched the ground, but she didn’t get an answer as Chloe leapt out of her arms and dashed into her father’s embrace.

“We’re clear to attack!” Officer Raincomprix pushed past Bijou Bleue and pointed straight up at the akuma. “Open fire!”

“What are you talking about?!” Rena shouted running up to the officer and holding both hands out in front of her in the universal plea to stop. “He’s still holding that girl hostage, and did you already forget shooting these things only makes them stronger?”

“Move aside and let the pros do their thing little girls.” Raincomprix sniffed pushing Rena aside with a sneer just as he had done with Bijou. “You pet store rejects already failed once.”

“Who are you calling pet store you-” The outraged fox heroine continued to splutter reaching to grasp her flute from her back and brandish the weapon threateningly. 

“Calm yourself, Rena.” The riot police startled many whirling to train their guns on Crimson Beetle who had seemed to simply materialize behind them. The old hero didn’t even bat an eyelash as he walked past them.

“Maybe he’s right though Master…” Bijou wilted from her place next to Rena. 

“Nonsense.” Crimson Beetle simply tutted walking past Officer Raincomprix without sparing the man a glance. Instead he canted his head towards the mayor and his daughter. “He is wrong. Had you not been here neither would that young lady over there. Without us here this city will not make it. That is the simple truth of things.”

“As touching as this all has been….” Everyone but Crimson Beetle gasped and spun around searching for the silky voice that had come from above. Chat Noir was crouched atop one of the riot police vans grinning diwnat them smugly. “I think that’s quite enough buzzing from the old bug. Why don’t you four hand over your miraculouses before the other girl up there goes splat? Oh, nice catch earlier by the way pretty bird. It was very impurressive, but I don’t think you’ll be so lucky a second time.”

The young heroes tensed crouching low and drawing their weapons on the villain, but Crimson Beetle only tilted his head and hummed thoughtfully. “Is that really something you are comfortable with, young man? So callous.”

Chat Noir’s ears flattened against his head, but before he could reply Stoneheart began to choke and cough on a swarm of black and purple butterflies that billowed suddenly from his mouth. The entire city watched in amazement as the mass of insects fluttered and pulsed until they formed a massive face that loomed over the city.

“People of Paris,” A chilling voice echoed from the figure’s mouth booming loudly across the city. “I am Hawkmoth. Listen to me carefully, these so-called ‘heroes’ have caused you enough harm. All I desire is for Crimson Beetle, and the rest of these children, to turn over their miraculouses. Just look at all of the damage you have already caused.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m gonna stop you right there Hawkdude.” Carapace shouted waving his hands to get the villain’s attention. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but without you Ivan would never have been turned into a monster in the first place, right?”

“Exactly!” Rena yelled up at the swarm gripping her flute like ball bat. “If anyone needs to give up their miraculous it’s you and Chat Noir. We won’t stop fighting you both until they’re back in the hands of the guardians where they belong!”

The figure’s mouth began to open again, but before he could launch into another monologue Bijou Bleue flicked open her fan and leapt high into the air. She gave a loud battlecry as she held the weapon in both hands and swiped the fan in a wide sweeping arc. The crowd below gasped loudly as a swirl of pink feathers burst from the fan in a pulsing wave of magic colliding with the black butterflies midair. A pulse of magic rippled through the air and a large amount of the butterflies appeared to shimmer before turning white and fluttering off into the sky. The crowd below her cheered wildly while Bijou floated gently to the ground. Carapace and Rena both stared at her with eyes blown wide. She simply stood there trembling in rage and trying to get her breathing back under control. 

“You super heroes are just so..heroic.” The remaining half of the butterflies formed a semi snarling visage though they appeared to be struggling to maintain their form. “I will never stop sending akumas after you until all of your miraculouses are mine! Chat Noir, you know what you must do! Stoneheart, they’re trying to take your love away from you! Take their miraculous now and they will be powerless to stop you!”

“Shut up Hawkmoth! Just shut up!” Bijou screamed swiping her fan through the air once more, purifying the remaining butterflies scattering the shimmering insects to the winds. “I’m tired of doubting myself, and I’m tired of being afraid of you! No matter who you are, no matter what you send at us, we will fight you! We will not let you harm Paris! We will keep our people safe!”

The cheers of bystanders and the roars of rock golems were nearly deafening, but through it all Bijou heard the first beep from her hip. She looked down at the small gem in confusion just in time to watch the first tailfeather fade into darkness. “I don’t understand… I haven’t made a sentiknight yet.”

“Do not worry Bijou Bleue, all is well.” Crimson beetle soothed as he patted the girl’s forearm gently. “You expelled much of your power to purify so many of those akuma at once. We must simply work faster now.” 

“Alright.” Carapace grinned as he turned to face Chat Noir. “Let’s do this then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting close to wrapping this one up guys! Final confrontation of Origins episodes next chapter. Also for anyone interested this will eventually get put in its on kwami swap series where I'll be putting any future related and non-related swap ficlets.


	8. Saviors of Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes finally put down their first akuma and set forth to become the heroes Paris deserves.

“You’ll never take Mylene from me! Come to me, my army!” Stoneheart bellowed once more beginning to climbthe tower. As he called, the mass of stone beings began to surge and climb the wide metal base. The tower creaked dangerously suddenly supporting thousands of pounds of stone. Chat Noir also leapt into action jumping down from his perch atop the swat car and advancing on them with his own small army of stone golems. 

“Please help me!” Mylene wailed desperately still trembling in her captor's large hand. “I’m s-scared of h-heights!”

“Uh, dudes we’re surrounded. What do we do?” Carapace turned his full attention to Chat Noir as he spoke his shield held at the ready. No doubt remembering the close call with cataclysm just yesterday.

“Ok… let’s start with what we know.” Bijou pressed her back against Carapace and flicked her fan open. Next to them Rena and Crimson Beetle adopted a similar defensive stance. “We know the akuma has to be in the same fist he’s holding Mylene in because he’s obviously using the other one to climb. We also know he’s doing this because he loves Mylene. Now what do we do with that?”

“I’ve got an idea!” Rena’s ears perked up and she clapped her hands together with a nearly feral grin. “Bijou, I need you to come with me!” 

“Go on, girls.” Crimson Beetle smiled watching two leap over the police cruisers and rush towards the Eiffel. “Carapace, you and I will handle the kitten.”

“Hell yeah!” Carapace nodded bouncing his forearm against his shield like a Spartan warrior. “I already owe you one for yesterday you mangy alley cat. Attacking a lady when her back was turned? That was just straight up dishonorable bro!”

Chat Noir rolled his eyes and blew Carapace a lackluster raspberry before lunging at the green hero. The cat’s staff slammed forcefully into the raised shield with a resounding clang. “Says the noble hero that’s about to fight me two on one.”

Chat smirked over Carapace's shoulder forcing the boy to look behind him just in time to see one of the smaller golems preparing to smash into his distracted back. The creature’s fist raised high in the air, but before it could come down and crush the turtle hero Crimson Beetle’s yoyo wrapped around the stony forearm. The older hero used the stone giant’s own momentum to pull the creature off its feet and swing its body in a wide arc knocking down a half dozen other giants.

“Ok dude, once we’ve got your miraculous back you have got to go to a nice youth detention center and have a conversation with a therapist about your idea of fair alright?” The black clad boy hissed in a very feline manner before unleashing a flurry of swings with his staff forcing Carapace on the defensive. Crimson beetle had his own hands full as he worked to keep the small stone army at bay.

“I hope the girls know what they’re doing!'' Carapace shouted as he used the tension from one of Chat’s swings to basically spring load his shield allowing it to bash painfully into the cat’s face. Chat howled in pain hissing out an impressive string of expletives. 

“Have faith young turtle!” Crimson Beetle called back cheerfully from atop a golem he currently had lassoed like a bull. The creature was spinning and flailing wildly as it tried to pull the spotted hero from its back. Its fellow golems were trying to assist as best they could only to be knocked around by their allies windmilling arms. “Your partners are both capable young ladies. I’m sure Rena’s plan will succeed.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We’re going to what?!” Bijou shrieked in alarm as she gaped at her friend. She could very distinctly feel the few feathers that were woven throughout her hair standing on in and she imagined it made for quite the sight. Rena had obviously lost her mind. 

“Shhhhh!” The fox hissed covering her partner’s mouth ducking them both behind a thick beam. “Calm down Blue Bird, it’s a good idea and it’s going to work. Just get into position and go on my signal!”

“Rena, how am I supposed to catch her if she’s invisible?” Bleue fretted softly peeking from their hiding spot and frowning at Mylene’s distraught face. The girl was openly sobbing by this point fat tears rolling down her red cheeks. 

“Girl,” Rena reached out and smoothed her friends quite literally ruffled feathers with a small smile. “I’ll drop my illusion and give you plenty of time. Trust me; we’ve got this.”

Bijou still looked skeptical until Mylene let out another warbling sob that nearly broke her heart. “Ok Rena, I trust you. Let’s save Mylene. You get into position, and I’ll be ready.”

Rena grinned in response giving the girl a tight squeeze before scurrying down the side of the tower and out of sight. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While she waited for her signal, Bijou Bleue observed the standoff between Chat Noir and Carapace from her crouched position on the platform above Stoneheart. For now, the two seemed mostly well matched, and Crimson Beetle seemed to be holding off the minions with relative ease. Suddenly, the air shifted and Mylene’s form shimmered with soft orange magic. Then, the girl was gone. Showtime then. 

“H-help! Ivan, please help me! I-I slipped Ivan! I’m gonna fall!” ‘Mylene’ now hung from a nearby piece of scaffolding dangling thousands of feet above Paris. Rena was putting on one hell of a show making a point to kick her feet pitifully and flex her arms in a false attempt to climb. 

“Mylene!” Stoneheart was visibly distraught as he looked to his, apparently empty, but still clenched fist. “Don’t worry, I’ll save you!”

Stoneheart released his grip and leapt from the side of the tower hurtling towards ‘Mylene’ below. As he opened both hands to grasp at the dangling girl, two things happened at once. The black akumatized wad of paper flew free from his hand, and an ear splitting shriek filled the air. Bijou Bleue wasted no time swan diving from the platform. 

True to her word Rena dropped her illusion the moment Stoneheart’s hand opened revealing the previously invisible Mylene now free falling alongside the akuma. As Rena’s Mylene disguise shimmered out of existence she pulled herself up onto the ledge waiting for just the right moment. 

Bijou passed the wad of paper and in one fluid movement she had sliced the paper cleanly in half and closed her fan on the furiously fluttering black butterfly that emerged. She quickly reopened the fan smiling at the pure white butterfly that fluttered past. As soon as the dark emotion was purified Stoneheart’s form bubbled and shifted until it was a very confused Ivan plummeting alongside Mylene.

Bijou tucked her arms firmly to her side, compressing her form and shooting herself towards the trio at an accelerated speed. In no time she was on top of the hysterical teens and had a firm grip on Mylene’s waist

“Don’t worry!” She shouted above the whistling wind. “We’ve got you!” 

As they passed Rena’s perch below she too surged forward into the air and grasped Ivan in a firm hug directing their falling bodies towards Mylene and Bijoue Bleue. “Grab onto Mylene!”

Ivan flushed a deep red at the command gazing up at Rena with a flabbergasted expression. The fox heroine just groaned in exasperation. “Look, you guys can do the whole shy thing later! If you don’t grab her right now, we’re all going to end up flat as crepes!”

Ivan startled a bit before reaching out and squeezing Mylene for dear life. Bijou willed her cape to spread wide, catching as much air as she possibly could to slow their descent. It helped, but the landing was still rough. Both heroines grunted in pain wrapping themselves around the civilians to take the brunt of the impact as they bounced and rolled for a moment. When they finally came to a full stop, no one dared to move for a few tense seconds. The only sound was their combined ragged breathing.

“Are you two okay?” Bijou finally asked as she carefully untangled herself from the quaking high schoolers. Rena had likewise released Ivan who was now blushing and looking incredibly guilty

“Y-yes ma’am!” Mylene queaked looking up at her with wide eyes. “I-I’m a little sore, but I’m alright. Oh! Ivan, are you alright?” 

“Hey,”Bijou smiled as she slowly stood trying not to let the two see how much pain she was really in. “I think you two have some stuff to talk about, but for now you both need to get out of here. Chat Noir is still somewhere close and it’s not safe.”

“Thank you.” Ivan mumbled nodding quickly before he grasped Mylene’s hand and rushed off dragging the shorter girl behind him. 

Bijou’s miraculous beeped its fourth warning as Rena’s let out its first. Rena had gingerly rolled to her feet and hobbled to Bijou’s side just as Mylene and Ivan disappeared. She grit her teeth and leaned heavily against Bijou’s side. “I think my ankle might be broken.”

“I’ve got a bum elbow and about thirty seconds left on my transformation.” Bijou agreed softly as she began to help Rena limp towards the nearby canal. “We have to get somewhere safe. I”m sure the two of them can handle one cat boy.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carapace grunted as Chat Noir’s staff cracked across the flat of his shoulder blades. The cat was faster than him and he was taking advantage of it. The longer they fought the more blows Chat landed on Carapaces tiring body. That didn’t mean Chat was unscathed. The blonde boy was sporting a bloody nose and favoring his left leg as he danced around Carapaces slower but heavier strikes. The boys had just locked weapons again when the stone creatures fighting around them began to dissolve into dark energy leaving behind a crowd of confused citizens in their wake. 

“No!” Chat hissed and leapt backwards towards the base of the Eiffel tower. He scanned his opponents with narrowed eyes glancing up just in time to see Bijou and Rena plunging to earth with Mylene and Ivan clutched safely between them. 

“The girls did it!” Carapace whooped and threw his hands up in the air.

“Indeed.” Crimson Beetle was smiling as he stood next to his young protege. The elder hero looked a bit winded, but otherwise perfectly fine. “It would appear as though you have been outplayed, Chat Noir. What will you do now?” 

As the heroes stood silently facing off with the villain Crimson Beetle’s yo-yo chirped faintly. He flipped open the communicator to reveal Rena’s grimacing face. “Rena Rouge, it appears as though your plan was successful.”

“Yes, thank you master. Unfortunately me and Bijou both had to fall back. Are you and Carapace going to be okay?”

“Of course my dear, you two get to safety. All is well here.” Crimson Beetle snapped the compact closed and began to spin his yo-yo at a dizzying speed. “Let us finish this quickly Chat Noir. It is time for the black cat to return to Guardian care. Lucky charm!”

“Cataclysm!” Before the item even fell from the sky, Chat Noir summoned the bubbling black energy letting it pool in his hand. The shape was amorphous and arcs of energy popped and sizzled between his fingers.

“It seems Bijou Bleue was correct. Whatever have you done to your miraculous Chat Noir?” The lucky charm fell into Crimson Beetle’s outstretched hand. A small ornate black box. Carapace noted it looked very similar to the miracle box. Crimson Beetle approached cautiously, his face calm as he tried to reach out to the boy. Chat was backpedaling now trying to back away as if he were a feral animal. “It seems the universe itself agrees. Chat Noir, turn over the ring. I can sense it within you, you are not a bad match for the black cat, but your path is misguided and the magic is sick. Let us help you.”

Chat grimaced as an arc of magic spiked from his ring singing his cheek. The longer he held the cataclysm the more volatile it seemed to grow. His tall black ears pressed flat against his head as he took a few slow steps back before slamming his palm against the side of the already abused tower. “You wouldn’t understand, old man. I couldn’t even if I wanted to…” 

Carapace gaped in disbelief watching as the entirety of the Eiffel Tower rusted right before his eyes. The metal bracers squealed and creaked and suddenlh the tower wasbcollapsing right on top of them. Carapace was frozen in shock until a chunk of debris caught the master on the crown of his head sending him to the ground in a crumpled heap. Carapace yelped in horror as he ran over to the man’s prone form. 

“You’re insane! Shellter!” The vibrant green energy shield covered them debris immediately bouncing off of it. He grunted with the effort; each piece that hit rattled his teeth and jarred his arms. For a minute he swore Chat Noir looked remorseful before the villain began to bound up the falling tower vaulting off the beams before he disappeared completely from view. “Master!”

“I’m okay Carapace.” Crimson Beetle climbed to his feet gingerly touching the gash at his temple. “I let myself relax too much. It won’t happen again. Miraculous cure!”

The master tossed his charm high in the air. It sailed through the shield and the swarm of magical ladybugs spread through the city. Carapace sighed in relief as the bugs crawled across him erasing all of his injuries. The crushing weight of the metal beams disappeared from his shield and the Eiffel tower stood above them whole and perfect once again. Carapace heaved a huge exhale as he sank to his knees and allowed the shellter to drop. He didn’t even look up as the master’s spotted hand came to rest on his shoulder.

“You and your friends did very well today young hero.” The old man sighed stretching his lower back and eliciting a few loud pops. “Let us go Carapace. I would like some tea.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours later Marinette groaned appreciatively as she pulled herself out of her now lukewarm bath water. The miraculous cure healed the damage that had been done to her arm, but all of her muscles were still screaming in protest. She wasn’t a particularly active person and despite the protection of her magical suit her body was under incredible strain. She was going to have to work on that. 

She smiled at Duusu who was giggling and splashing around in the small bowl of water Marinette had sat on the edge of the tub for her. The kwami shook and fluffed her feathers as if she was in a bird bath. Marinette dressed in her warmest pajamas and wrapped her hair in a towel giggling as Duusu dove into the soft fleece. She walked out of the bathroom toward the kitchen to grab a glass of water and nearly fell over backwards when her mother’s small frame collided with her. Marinette’s eyes blew wide as her mother squeezed her into a bone crushing embrace.

“Sweetie I’m so proud of you!”

“Uh, thanks Maman… why?” Marinette hugged her mother back in confusion, never one to turn down a hug.

“I just read the letter you left on the coffee table, about the after school work study program. I think it’s wonderful that you wanted to find something that would help you learn more about your Chinese heritage and I can’t wait to hear about all the things you learn from volunteering at M. Chan’s shop. I’ve already signed the permission form and slipped it in your bag. Just think sweetie, we'lll be whispering about your father behind his back in no time.” Her mother giggled continuing to squeeze her in the tight hug.

“Uh...yeah the study work uh work study yeah! Haha!” Marinette laughed awkwardly and attempted to plaster on a convincing smile. “Thank you Maman! I’m sorry it totally slipped my mind with everything that’s been going on! I’m just going to head upstairs and turn in early again Maman.” 

“I know dear don’t fret over it. Superheroes in Paris, it’s amazing really. Oh, your father is already brainstorming macarons inspired by the heroes. I hope you’re ready for taste testing soon.” Sabine giggled again as Marinette blanched. Her father's recipes always turned out fantastic… in the end. Marinette shuddered again before starting up the stairs to her bedroom. She had just crested the top of the stairs when her phone began to buzz an upbeat tune and a brand new selfie of Alya lit up the screen. 

“Hey Als.”Marinette chirped cheerfully as she pressed the video chat and began to towel dry her hair vigorously.

“Hey girl.” Alya was lounging on her bed with her head cradled in her palms and a small smirk on her lips. “So, did you know that, even though my true love is journalism, I’ve always been fascinated by eastern alternative medicines like massage and acupuncture?”

“Uhhhhh...nooooo?” Marinette was peeking out from under the towel in confusion.

“Yeah, me either.” Alya chuckled holding up a folded piece of paper. “Until my mom signed off on a permission form for an afterschool work study with one Mr. Chan. The school was ‘so pleased to find something in my interest range’.” 

Both girls had devolved into a fit of giggles by this point as Marinette’s phone pinged to notify her of another incoming call. “Hold on Als that’s Nino let me just conference him in.”

The screen image split as Nino joined the chat. The boy’s short dark hair was free from its perpetually capped prison and still damp from his shower. “What’s up ladybros? I had the weirdest letter on my desk when I got out of the shower.”

“Let me guess…” Alya drawled with a grin. “You have a deep interest in acupuncture and the flow of energy through the body?”

“Nah,” Marinette interrupted her with a snort. “I think he’s searching for a way to connect to his Chinese heritage.”

“...Actually I’m wanting to seek out cultural music to expand my musical repertoire… like Tibetan throat singing.” Alya and Marinette both blinked a few times before bursting into hysterics. 

“I can’t say I ever imagined my batcave would be a massage parlor.” Alya crowed as wipijg a tear from her eye. 

“Truth.” Nino nodded his agreement. 

“Speaking of the bat cave,” Alya glanced around her room furtively as she pulled her phone close to her face to whisper. “Are you guys ready?”

Marinette scrunched her nose and sat down at her desk feeling exhaustion deep in her bones. “Are we really going to call it the bat cave?”

“Of course not.” Alya waved a hand dismissively. “It’s another placeholder until further notice. I’ll think of something good, just give me a few days. Now you two get your butts in gear, I still want to work on my blog after we get done with the master.”

“Do you plan to sleep?” Marinette teased.

“Hard maybe. I’m still trying to think of a catchier name for our blog too. Lots and lots on my plate. Now, scoot.” Alya’s screen went black leaving Marinette and Nino smiling at each other in amusement. 

“You sure know how to pick ‘em Mari.”

“I think she picked me.”

Nino heaved a sigh as he pulled on his trusty ball cap. “Saviors of Paris, huh?” Can’t say that was on my list of freshman extra curriculars.”

“I was banking on the art club myself.” Marinette responded drily as she scritched Duusu’s little head while the kwami preened. “I was also considering getting a pet hamster this year. Birds are a little high maintenance you know.”

“Turtles are pretty chill at least. See you out there Mari.”

“Yeah, see you Nino.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyy and that's wrap. Thank you to anyone who gave this story a read. I know it's my least popular work to date, but it still means a lot to me and feels good to finish something. There might be more one shots to come from this and other kwami swap ideas I get. If that time comes Ill make a collection and add them all together. Thank you again guys.


End file.
